Two groups of Nepali Congress are facing a disagreement on when to hold the 15th general convention after party's President Sher Bahadur Deuba told he only wants to hold the convention after the general election in 2027 to the group of senior leaders. Sekhar Koirala, who now leads the opposing group was defeated by Deuba at the 14th general convention held in December 2021 and became the Party President.
As the party charter, The four year term of current committees from center to the ward levels will end by the end of December. As per the Article 269 of constitution of Nepal, A party is required to hold its general convention within five years from general and provincial level to local levels. 6 months of extension is allowed in special cases. Following this rule Nepali Congress can hold their convention by the mid-2027 to the latest.
Deuba said that the convention may be organised after the party election during the meeting with the 11 senior party leaders. However Koirala camp opposes Deuba plan saying that a general convention must be organized by December of this year. The party's joint general secretary, Jeevan Pariyar said,“we have no special circumstances to delay the convention. We have held the convention even at difficult times like covid pandemic. So why not now?”
As said by Deuba’s close leaders Deuba wants to delay the convention to distribute the election tickets to the party's candidate so he can maintain his influence over the party. A leader said he wants to prevent the happening of ‘sabotage and counter-sabotage’ within the party. They argue that the rivalry in the party might affect the national elections if the general convention is held just before the election.
According to Pariyar, a close friend of Sekhar Koirala. “The general convention should be held by December 2025 as per the party charter. As that is not going to happen, it should be held at least before December 2026 to meet the constitutional obligation.” But Deuba's close leaders claims that it could affect the result of the local election scheduled for may 2027 if the general convention is held on 2026
However there's no official statement regarding the plan to delay the convention. The agreement between the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML might be another reason to delay the convention. According to the agreement, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will hand over the PM's chair to Deuba after serving for two years. Deuba will serve as Prime Minister and lead the election, According to this Agreement.
But if the general convention is convened by December 2025 a person other than Deuba will be appointed as party president. This implies that the new party president may not become the prime minister.Congress statute only allows one leader to lead the party for two terms. His Idea is Backed By Congress leader Shashank Koirala And Others “The Congress has never held its general convention on time as mentioned in the party charter ever since democracy was restored in the country, that was during 1990,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh.
A leader close to Deuba, Prakash Man Singh, said they would try to hold the party’s general convention, as the law requires. Nepali Congress will go with both the constitution and the party rules, he stated.Singh, who has close ties with Deuba, is eyeing for Deuba’s support to run for party president in the coming convention.
On the other hand, Shekhar Koirala and his faction have been pushing the party to hold the convention on schedule. Koirala said the party would be runners up if they delayed, adding, “We need to make pressure for leadership to organize the convention on time.
Another leader close to Deuba, Shyam Ghimire, said the discussions over postponing the convention are not formal.He also promised that the convention would be held by December 2026 as the constitution and the party's own rules require.
