Thapa proposes holding primary election to select candidates at all levels

LALITPUR: Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has proposed holding primary elections to select the party’s candidates at all levels.

Presenting his organizational proposal at the Mahasamiti meeting in Godavari on Tuesday, Thapa suggested allowing the party’s active members to choose their candidates through voting.

“The party statute stipulates that lower-level working committees gather preliminary recommendations and opinions for the decision-making level, and the decision-making body forms a committee as specified by the statute to select candidates. Should we continue this system and practice now, or opt for selecting candidates through primary elections?” Thapa questioned party leaders as he presented his proposal.

Thapa also said that party units would need to forward the names of the three individuals receiving the highest number of votes, including a woman, in the primary election to higher authorities in the party. “The party leadership must choose one of the names from the list. It cannot propose candidates not on the list,” he emphasized.

Additionally, Thapa has proposed establishing certain criteria for selecting proportional candidates from the party. “While selecting candidates under proportional representation, the party must prioritize communities, regions, and clusters that have been deprived of opportunities,” he said. “The party will select candidates based on specific criteria by employing other methods and procedures, including surveys, to identify popular and capable candidates.”

Thapa also said that the party would lobby to introduce a provision wherein the state allocates funds to political parties based on the voting weight they receive to finance party operations. “The party must utilize this fund for all its activities including elections,” he added.