KATHMANDU: The 15th General Convention of Nepali Congress (NC) is less than a year away. However, given President Sher Bahadur Deuba and his team’s track record, it is not sure whether the general convention will be held on time. Nevertheless, party leaders and cadres have begun preparing for the general convention.
Dr Shekhar Koirala, who lost to Deuba in the election for the party’s top post in the 14th General Convention, has publicly announced his intention to run for the party presidency. While Koirala has been visiting districts to garner support, General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa, who was elected from Koirala’s panel in the last convention, has been making efforts to realign himself with other factions.
Some NC leaders say Thapa is attempting to join Deuba’s camp. Thapa, who was once a vocal critic of Deuba’s leadership style, has been unusually quiet of late. Before the 14th General Convention, Thapa publicly said senior leaders like Deuba could not lead the party effectively and pushed for a leadership transition. He had questioned Deuba’s ability to govern as prime minister and tried to sideline him from the party’s parliamentary leadership. Surprisingly, Thapa recently referred to Deuba as the future prime minister. This indicates a shift in his stance and efforts to win Deuba’s support in the general convention.
As per the party constitution, Deuba cannot contest for party president in the next convention and is expected to back someone from his camp. Leaders close to Thapa say that he is preparing to run for the party presidency. It, however, is unclear whether the Deuba faction would embrace him with open arms.
Meanwhile, Koirala has continued to express dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership and its role in the coalition government. He has not hesitated to criticize Deuba and the government in public forums. People close to Koirala also say the leader is dissatisfied with Thapa’s silence in recent times. Koirala has also begun applying pressure on Thapa by mobilizing grassroots leaders. He recently organized a gathering of local leaders from the Koshi Province to challenge both Deuba and Thapa. These recent developments show that the Thapa-Koirala faction that challenged Deuba in the general convention is no longer in existence.
Observes say the ongoing investigation on cooperative fraud has brought Deuba and Thapa closer. After the CPN (Maoist Centre) broke an alliance with NC to form a government with UML and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), NC intensified its focus on cooperative fraud investigation. Thapa advocated relentlessly to establish the agenda in NC. As a result, a parliamentary special investigation committee was formed and, based on its report, RSP President Rabi Lamichhane was implicated. This development helped strengthen relations between Thapa and Deuba. As a result, Deuba has started seeking Thapa’s input on key decisions, including ministerial appointments and ambassadorial recommendations.
NC leader Dr Govinda Pokharel, who is close to Dr Koirala, said it is good for the party that the president and general secretary are working in tandem. “This is not unnatural. However, I believe that Thapa and Dr Koirala will be in the same camp during the general convention,” Pokharel said. “This would disseminate the message that two generations of leaders are in the same camp. This will be a win-win situation for both the party and the politics.”
As per the party constitution, NC must hold the general convention in December next year. However, the party constitution allows the president to postpone the general convention by a year citing special circumstances.
Factional shifts ahead of the general convention
Political analyst Krishna Khanal predicts that the current factions within NC could collapse ahead of the general convention.”Thapa’s approach to align with Deuba and Koirala’s attempts to attract leaders from Deuba’s camp are strategic but not surprising,” Khanal said. “Although Deuba has not fully handed over leadership to Thapa, he seems to have gained more space within the party than before. If Thapa and Koirala join forces, they could pull leaders away from Deuba’s camp as well.”
A leader close to Koirala said smaller factions within the party are trying to make political gains by splitting the Thapa-Koirala faction. “Such maneuvers have always been common in NC,” the leader said. “Thapa might even support Koirala for party president in this convention, with plans to take over leadership in the next one. It is too early to say.”
Some central members and district leaders loyal to Deuba are reportedly now leaning toward Koirala. “A few of Deuba’s supporters, including central members and district presidents, have begun working with Koirala,” said a leader from Deuba’s camp. “Some leaders are saying it is Koirala’s turn now. If that happens, Thapa will be in a difficult situation. Perhaps, this explains the silence that he has been maintaining.”
Meanwhile, Koirala’s team has already opened a campaign office in Anamnagar, Kathmandu, to mobilize support for his candidacy in the 15th General Convention. The office, inaugurated last Thursday, is led by former Nepal Student Union President Gururaj Ghimire, along with Devaraj Chalise, Goma KC, Bhupendra Jung Shahi, Tekraj Poudel and Keshav Singh.
“The primary objective of opening this campaign office is to pressure the party leadership to hold the general convention on time and secure Koirala’s victory,” a leader from Koirala’s team said.
