KATHMANDU: A meeting of central committee members close to the establishment faction of the Nepali Congress has concluded, reaching a consensus that party president Sher Bahadur Deuba should be given a graceful exit through the regular 15th General Convention.

The meeting also emphasized the need to unify and reform the party from the grassroots to the central level. The meeting, held at Arambha Restaurant in Shankhamul under the coordination of central committee member Guru Baral, decided that the party’s 15th General Convention should be conducted in a regular manner to ensure leadership transition and internal reform.

According to coordinator Baral, the leaders expressed that the General Convention should serve not only as a means of leadership change at the central level but also as an opportunity to reform the party from the ward level upward.
“At this moment, we need to unite the party and initiate reforms from the ward to the central level,” Baral said.

“All participants were unanimous that a regular General Convention is necessary to ensure a graceful exit for President Sher Bahadur Deuba and other office bearers.”

More than 37 central committee members attended the meeting.

Another central committee member, Nainsingh Mahar, said that, instead of causing internal division ahead of the parliamentary elections, the central committee members, including himself, voiced the view that the party should move toward a regular convention to maintain unity.

He further stated that the government must create a conducive environment and that political parties should cooperate to ensure the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5, 2026, take place on time.

“If the country misses the March 5 elections, it will invite more conflict. The nation cannot bear another hour of confrontation. There is no alternative to holding the elections on time; otherwise, the country will head into crisis,” Mahar said.

During the meeting, most speakers also stressed that restoring the dissolved House of Representatives was only a secondary option and that the Nepali Congress should focus on preparing for the elections and organizing its regular General Convention as soon as possible.