KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress central committee member Urmila Thapaliya has called for a rule preventing general convention delegates from contesting elections for provincial working committees.

Speaking at the central committee meeting held at the party’s central office in Sanepa, she said while general convention delegates should be allowed to participate in provincial conventions, they should be barred from contesting provincial committee elections. She believes provincial representatives should be the ones to join provincial working committees.

Thapaliya also urged the party to increase youth representation by mandating that 20% of candidates for elections at the central committee, federation, provincial, and local levels be under 40 years of age.

Additionally, she suggested strengthening ward-level committees through a separate program initiated by the party. “The practice of allocating budgets based on leaders’ demands is flawed. Budgets should be allocated through a project bank according to needs. This would prevent intermediaries and bureaucracy from taking over,” she explained.

On the topic of affiliated organizations, Thapaliya — a former president of the Nepal Student Union (NSU) — recommended holding congresses of affiliated and friendly organizations every two years.

She added that if regular conventions are not held, party leadership at the respective level should have the authority to select leadership after a certain time.