Nepali Congress Central Party Office
KATHMANDU: Internal organizational activities of the Nepali Congress (NC) have been affected as the party focuses on power politics. As a result, the party’s Central Working Committee meeting scheduled for mid-July couldn’t be held.
There is no decision on when appointments will be made to party departments to make them functional. The party was preparing to complete the formation and nomination of leaders and members to the departments through the Central Working Committee meeting.
These activities have been affected as the leadership remained busy forming a coalition with the CPN-UML. The NC and UML reached an agreement to form a coalition government on July 1. Since then, the party has put all focus on power politics.
NC has joined the coalition government led by CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli. NC leads 10 ministries in the coalition government. While the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP) have already joined the coalition government, NC-UML leaders are working to bring more small parties to the government.
While all this is happening, NC has not been able to schedule its Central Working Committee meeting.
NC has 70 departments to make the party dynamic and enhance internal activities. Of these, only 19 have been formed. But they have not got full shape yet. Among these departments, only the Publicity Department is active. Most of the other departments lack members or chiefs.
According to the party constitution, departments should be formed within six months of the general convention. However, party departments have not been formed even though it has already been 26 months since the 14th General Convention was held. The party has even failed to nominate two members to its 168-member Central Working Committee. Likewise, the eight posts of nominated members in the 45-member Central Work Performance Committee are also lying vacant.
The party hasn’t been able to appoint a Treasurer to the Central Working Committee. The 14-member office-bearers of the NC include one president, two vice presidents, two general secretaries, and eight joint general secretaries. The party constitution authorizes the President to nominate a Treasurer to the Central Working Committee.
Nearly 4,000 party leaders and cadres would get responsibilities once party departments and other bodies get a complete shape. Leaders, however, claim that it is natural for organizational activities to be delayed after joining the government. However, NC leadership had failed to advance any programs for organizational strengthening even when the party was in the opposition.
NC Spokesperson Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat told Himal Press that President Sher Bahadur Deuba will now focus on the party’s organizational activities. “Now that the cabinet expansion and other matters have been addressed, all these tasks will be completed. The President will now focus on the party,” Mahat said.
President Deuba became entangled in three-tier elections and power politics immediately after the party’s general convention. After the party’s coalition with the Maoist Center broke earlier this year, the President started focusing on party work. The general secretaries and other office-bearers had also made the party dynamic nationwide.
“The President was working on completing all 70 party departments and making the party organization more dynamic. However, the party’s internal works were affected as the political situation of the country demanded two major parties join hands,” said Krishna Prasad Poudel, Chief Secretary of the Nepali Congress Party Office. “The President and top party leaders had to focus on that work. Now the cabinet has been expanded, the Central Working Committee meeting will be held soon.”
NC has extended the tenure of interim committees of party sister organizations till mid-April. The leaderships of Nepal Student Union, Nepal Tarun Dal, Nepal Women’s Association, Nepal Farmers’ Federation, Nepal Dalit Association, Nepal Democratic Sports Association, Nepal Democracy Fighters’ Association, Nepal Ex-Army Association, National Democratic Disabled Association, and Nepal Tharu Association have been instructed to hold their respective general conventions by mid-April 2025.
According to Poudel, the Central Working Committee will form a three-member coordination committee of Central Working Committee members. This committee will be authorized to hold elections of party sister organizations by mid-April next year.
Likewise, Poudel added that the Central Working Committee would soon instruct liaison committees in foreign countries to hold general conventions.
NC has liaison committees in 36 countries.
