Krishna Dulal
Acting Chief Secretary
Nepali Congress
There is no problem with the legitimacy of the Congress, Opening of the Khula Manch on October 3: Krishna Dulal
NC preparing for 15th General Convention, about 8,000 delegates to participate
Kathmandu. While the preparations for the 15th general convention of the Nepali Congress are in full swing, the controversy related to the legitimacy and leadership of the party is also in the news. Although there is a difference of opinion between the faction of President Gagan Kumar Thapa and former President Sher Bahadur Deuba within the party, the party has said that its legitimacy is clear and the general convention is moving ahead as per the set process.
Krishna Dulal, acting chief secretary of the Nepali Congress, said that the Election Commission has already updated the working committee elected through the special general convention as per the existing law and the EC’s record has Gagan Kumar Thapa as the party president. According to him, the matter has also been given legitimacy by the division bench of the Supreme Court.
Talking to Nepal
News Bank about the preparations for the general convention, legitimacy of the party, lower-level conventions and delegate management, Dulal said that the competition seen in the party should be understood as an internal democratic exercise and not as a split.
He said that some changes have been made in the election schedule of the general convention delegates due to floods, landslides and natural disasters. According to the new schedule, the names of the convention delegates will be registered on October 16 and 17.
Dulal said that preparations are being made to formally inaugurate the general convention at Khula Manch in Kathmandu at 2 pm on October 3. According to him, the closed session will be held on October 19, 20 and 21 and the preliminary program of the election will be started after noon on October 7.
He informed that the voting is scheduled to conclude on October 5.
‘The issue of legitimacy is clear’
At a time when various discussions are being held about the legitimacy and leadership of the party regarding the party’s general convention, Dulal claimed that the present structure of the party is legitimate on the basis of the records of the Election Commission.
He said that the Election Commission has already updated the working committee elected through the special general convention as per the existing law. He said that in the records of the commission, Gagan Kumar Thapa is the party president and the division bench of the Supreme Court has also given it legitimacy.
Competition seen from the ward level
With the preparations for the general convention, the competition is intense in the lower level conventions of the Congress. According to Dulal, the convention has been held in 6,743 wards and all 753 municipalities.
Dulal said that the provision of the chairpersons of the local level as ex-officio representatives of the general convention has created more enthusiasm among the party cadres. Dulal said that the competition by forming panels at various levels should be taken as a natural internal democratic exercise within the party.
From the outside, there are different streams within the Congress, but the leaders and cadres of the party have been interpreting the internal competition as a democratic process. The competition seen from the ward, town, district level to the state level has also made the fight for the leadership in the upcoming general convention a matter of concern.
Around
8,000 delegates will participate
About 8,000 delegates are expected to participate in the 15th general convention of the Nepali Congress. Dulal said that 15-16 sub-committees have been formed for their management, including the main organizing committee.
He said that members have been appointed in the Housing, Food and Information Committee from each province for the convenience of the delegates participating in the general convention.
The details of the hotel and accommodation of the delegates have been made available through the website. Dulal said that during the general convention, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and evening meal were also arranged for the delegates at the places designated by the party.
Leadership Competition Increases Interest
The Congress general convention this time has become a matter of concern not only because of the regular organizational process but also because of the leadership and the future direction of the party. On the one hand, the current structure of Gagan Kumar Thapa is moving forward, while on the other hand, the political faction linked to the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction seems to be active.
This is the reason why the competition from the ward and municipal level is being linked to the future leadership of the Congress. But the responsible office-bearers of the party have been presenting such competition as an exercise of internal democracy and not division.
Now, with the process of name registration, closed session and election of the general convention representatives, the leadership competition within the Congress will become more clear. After the inauguration of the Khula Manch on October 1, the formal process of the general convention will proceed, while the voting on October 8 will conclude the process of electing a new leadership.
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