KATHMANDU – The dispute within the Nepali Congress over the date of the General Convention has continued to escalate.
The group that submitted signatures of 54% of convention representatives demanding a Special General Convention is organizing a special gathering on Wednesday.
A special assembly is set to take place at the National Assembly Hall with the participation of convention representatives and leaders from across the country.
The gathering—scheduled a day before the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting—will issue an ultimatum to the CWC to set a date for the Special General Convention.
The CWC meeting is being held on Thursday. The gathering has been called under the leadership of pro–Special Convention leader Gururaj Ghimire.
Baldev Timilsina, another leader supporting the Special Convention, said that the possibility of holding the party’s regular General Convention before the March 4 (Falgun 21) election is very low. Therefore, the special gathering has been organized to exert decisive pressure on the CWC to set a date for the Special General Convention in accordance with the party statute.
On October 15 (29 Asoj), 54% of the Congress convention representatives submitted an application with signatures to the central office demanding a Special General Convention. General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma also support the proposal, though they will not attend Wednesday’s gathering.
Leaders Mahesh Acharya, Narahari Acharya, Taranath Ranabhat, Baldev Sharma Majagaiya, Sunil Bhandari, and others have been invited to the event. Political analysts Krishna Khanal, Hari Sharma, and Arun Kumar Subedi have also been invited to speak.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the pro–Special Convention leaders held separate discussions with leaders from the Kathmandu Valley, district and regional presidents under Bagmati Province, and leaders of sister and affiliated organizations.
According to the date the signatures were submitted, the Central Committee is legally obligated to call the Special General Convention before the end of Poush.
Leaders say they are discussing options ranging from filing a writ petition at the Supreme Court to submitting an appeal to the Election Commission.
