KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) Sher Bahadur Deuba will not be eligible to run for party president in the upcoming general convention of the party.
The NC statute states that a person who has already served two terms as party president cannot run for the position again. As per this provision, Deuba is leading the party for the last time and his term ends in December. If the general convention does not take place on the scheduled date, Deuba can extend his tenure by one year as per the statute, and an additional six months under the constitution.
Historically, the NC has never held its general convention on the scheduled date. After the 13th general convention, Deuba had extended his term by one and a half years based on the statute and constitution. According to party leaders, there is very little chance that the 15th general convention will be held on time either.
This suggests the 15th general convention may be pushed to around June 2027. Although the general convention is nearly two years away, leaders have already begun preparing in their own ways. Their nationwide and district-level tours show that preparations are underway.
Dr Shekhar Koirala, who lost to Deuba as party president in the 14th general convention, has already been preparing for the next convention. Koirala is certain to be the presidential candidate from the rival faction in the 15th convention.
Recently, tensions have arisen between General Secretary Gagan Thapa and Shekhar Koirala, who previously belonged to the same faction. The rift reportedly began when Thapa failed to secure full support from his own group after challenging Deuba for the parliamentary party leader.
Like Koirala, Thapa also appears to be aspiring for the party presidency in the 15th general convention. However, the rival faction is trying to ensure that only one of them runs for the position.
“There is definitely a rift between Koirala and Thapa. Their relationship is no longer like it was during the 14th general convention,” said a leader from the rival faction. “Koirala is confirmed to be running for president, but Thapa has also expressed his desire. If both run from the same faction, it will benefit the other side. We are trying to unite them.”
Although Thapa won as General Secretary from the Koirala group in the last convention, this time he appears to be seeking Deuba’s “blessing” for his candidacy. With Deuba unable to run, Thapa is looking for his support. Deuba had included Thapa in the mechanism formed to run the government, and some interpreted this as a sign that Thapa had grown closer to Deuba despite being from the rival group.
Meanwhile, with Deuba not running again, the search for a new leader from the establishment (Deuba’s) faction has begun. Seven leaders close to Deuba have emerged as potential successors: Gopal Man Shrestha, Bimalendra Nidhi, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Bijaya Gachhadar, Prakash Man Singh, Shashank Koirala and Prakash Sharan Mahat. These leaders aim to continue Deuba’s legacy within the party and select a consensus candidate for leadership. They have been holding continuous discussions. Their meeting series began on Chaitra 16 (March/April) at former Vice President Nidhi’s residence in Mid-Baneshwor and continued at former Vice President Gopal Man Shrestha’s home on Sunday.
The initial “lunch meeting” with three leaders — Bimalendra, Prakash Man, and Shashank — has now grown to include all seven. However, current Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka, who is also close to Deuba, has not yet been included in the group.
Former Vice President Nidhi confirmed that Sunday’s meeting was a continuation of earlier ones. “We had previous discussions, and today’s meeting is a continuation of those talks,” he said. He told Himal Press that the discussion centered on preparations for the 15th general convention, running the government, strengthening the democratic republican system and issues related to active party membership.
“We discussed the issue of active membership seriously. No work has started yet. This is the responsibility of the party office-bearers, and our meeting expressed serious concern about it,” Nidhi said.
According to Nidhi, the meeting also concluded that efforts are being made to spread confusion about the current political system. “There’s a campaign to discredit the current system. We discussed ways to strengthen it. If needed, we will go to all seven provinces for interactions and discussions,” he added.
While the ongoing meetings of the seven leaders are being interpreted as efforts to select a consensus candidate from the establishment faction for the 15th general convention, party leaders say the time for that has not yet arrived. According to them, current discussions are focused on preparations for the general convention, governance and party strengthening.
“We are focused on preparations, not on selecting a consensus candidate yet,” said one leader participating in the meetings. “It’s not time for that yet; there is still plenty of time.”
Regarding the selection of a consensus candidate from the Deuba faction, the leader claimed there’s no truth to the rumors and that such discussions will take place when the time is right. “That topic hasn’t even been introduced yet. There’s still plenty of time,” he said.
Since there is still time before the General Convention, party president Deuba has not yet chosen his successor. According to a leader close to him, although many are aspiring to lead the party, no one has received his assurance yet.
“All the leaders have worked closely with the party president. They are trusted by him, so it’s natural for them to expect his support. But it doesn’t seem like anyone has received a concrete assurance yet,” the leader said.
