KATHMANDU: “The Nepali Congress party is in the most unfavorable condition in its history.”

This is the sentence spoken by Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka last Monday, standing in the courtyard of the Nepali Congress Central Office in Sanepa. Just as Khadka states, the Nepali Congress is not only at a critical historical juncture but is also steeped in confusion.

The Nepali Congress is being crippled by Gen Z protests and entrenched factional politics. Infighting has deeply infected the party’s rank and file, eroding unity and purpose. Acting President Khadka and many senior members admit that the situation has gone beyond minor fixes; the party doesn’t just need treatment or an operation, it requires full-scale political surgery to recover.

To what extent is the current confusion in the Nepali Congress linked to the General Convention? Leaders are divided over whether to hold a regular or a special General Convention. The Central Committee meeting, which was postponed due to festivals, will commence on October 31. Leaders claim that this meeting will set the date for the General Convention. Acting President Khadka himself states that the Central Committee meeting will determine the date for the regular General Convention.

Meanwhile, General Secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma have collected the signatures of more than 54 percent of the General Convention representatives to call for a special General Convention. As per the party statute, the collected signatures have already been registered at the Central Office for a special General Convention. General Secretary Thapa has been stating that he is in favor of retiring the current leadership through a regular General Convention. However, he is also in favor of holding a special General Convention if the regular one is not held.

Meanwhile, leaders affiliated with Congress leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala are also in favor of holding a regular General Convention. Therefore, three factions are active within the party: the establishment faction led by Purna Bahadur Khadka, the special General Convention proponents created by the two General Secretaries, and the Dr. Shekhar Koirala faction. The future of the 15th Nepali Congress General Convention revolves around these three factions. Due to the vested interests and strategies of these three factions, there is confusion over whether the Nepali Congress will proceed with a regular or a special General Convention.

Establishment faction preparing for regular General Convention in mid-May

The 14th Nepali Congress General Convention was held in December 2021. Sher Bahadur Deuba was elected as the party president for a second term. He brought the General Convention, including 80 percent of the Central Committee members, to his side. Deuba, whose private residence in Budhanilkantha was attacked during the Gen Z protest, has handed over the acting presidency to Purna Bahadur Khadka. Khadka is the party’s first-ranking vice president.

After taking on the responsibility of acting president, Khadka has called close associates for discussions. Khadka himself is a proponent of the regular General Convention. After Khadka took charge, Central leaders of the Deuba group, led by Nepali Congress Central Member Guru Baral, held repeated discussions at the Aarambha Hotel in Shankhamul. They concluded that the party should proceed with a regular General Convention and present internal unity. This increased the pressure for a general convention within the Nepali Congress.

Last Saturday, a meeting of Central Members close to the establishment was held under the leadership of Acting President Khadka at a hotel in Sanepa. That meeting discussed how to set the date for the convention and how to confront the critics. “It was a core group meeting. Our opinion is that we should prepare to hold the regular General Convention by mid-May, whether the election happens in March or not,” said a leader who participated in the meeting.

Following the Saturday discussion, Acting President Khadka stated on Monday that he would link the special General Convention proposed by the party representatives to the timeframe of the regular General Convention and emphasize broader unity. Ramhari Khatiwada, a leader of the establishment group and a central member close to Khadka, says that a game is underway in the Nepali Congress to weaken the party in the guise of the Gen Z protest and reach leadership by any means necessary. He questions whether only President Deuba has failed, or if Central leaders, including the vice presidents, joint general secretaries, and general secretaries, have also failed. “The signature collection may have happened with good intentions. But was the signature meant to only change the Central President or to change everyone? By demanding a special General Convention, are they saying they won’t let the Gen Z members join the party? Why are they trying to divide the party like this?” questions Khatiwada.

If the establishment pushes a special General Convention this month

The establishment faction is active with a strategy to wear down the more than 54 percent of the General Convention representatives who demanded a special General Convention in the Nepali Congress. The regular Nepali Congress General Convention must be completed by mid-December. However, the work of renewing active membership and distributing new membership has not even started. The possibility is slim that the Central Committee meeting, scheduled to start on October 30, will create a timetable to complete the General Convention in 6,743 wards, 753 local levels, seven provinces, and the central level by mid-December.

While the establishment faction is making internal preparations to postpone the General Convention, the group that collected signatures has also formulated a new strategy. That group is preparing to call a gathering of General Convention representatives who signed for a special General Convention and are available in Kathmandu. That group is planning to call a gathering on October 31 and pressure the Central Committee to bring a regular General Convention timetable.

Nepali Congress Central Member Pratima Gautam argues that the party’s 15th General Convention must be held without favoring one over the other in this unique and complex situation. She believes the regular General Convention must be held by mid-December, regardless of the strategies within the party. “The leadership should not take the issue of more than 54 percent signatures lightly. If there is any conspiracy to postpone the regular General Convention by mid-December under any pretext, we will proceed on the course of a special General Convention by mid-January. Therefore, the Central Committee should bring a timetable for the regular General Convention,” she says.

Shekhar is also in favor of a regular General Convention

Leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala is also in favor of a regular General Convention. Koirala’s view is that the party should proceed with the regular General Convention, respecting the signatures of 54 percent of the General Convention representatives. Ranjit Karna and others close to Koirala also submitted a letter of attention to the Nepali Congress Central Office demanding a regular General Convention. Dr. Govind Pokharel, a Central Member close to Koirala, also says that leader Koirala and his group will stand in favor of a regular General Convention. Pokharel’s opinion is that the regular General Convention should be held, even if it requires adding 10 to 15 days, without unnecessary complications.

Meanwhile, Koirala has dialogued with the proponents of the special General Convention and the regular General Convention. According to a close source, he called the general secretaries and leaders who led the signature campaign, Guru Ghimire and Devraj Chalise, and urged them to proceed with restraint. He conveyed his view to Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka that the party should move towards a regular General Convention.

General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma told media persons at the party office on Monday that even though three groups are currently active in the Nepali Congress, the party will not split. Sharma said, “If anyone thinks there will be discord, or if anyone is wishing for it, they should not think that way at all. The party will remain united and will adapt itself according to the changed circumstances.”