Internal Rift Surfaces in Nepali Congress as Key Leaders Skip Election Campaigning After Special General Convention
Kathmandu. Following the Special General Convention held last Poush, the Nepali Congress has entered the House of Representatives elections with a new leadership. However, the discord between the current establishment faction and the previous establishment faction is becoming clearly visible in the party's election campaign.
The Election Commission has set Monday as the last date for campaigning for the House of Representatives elections scheduled for Falgun 21. As of Sunday, former President Sher Bahadur Deuba, leaders Purna Bahadur Khadka, Prakash Man Singh, Dr. Shashank Koirala, and Dr. Arju Rana Deuba have not emerged to campaign for the party's candidates.
The influential leaders from the Deuba faction are reluctant to campaign after Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma's faction ousted Deuba, who was elected President in the 14th General Convention, through a special convention. Deuba flew to Singapore on the night of Falgun 13, citing follow-up medical treatment.
Although not seen in the electoral arena, former Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka has been urging people to vote for the Nepali Congress candidates. Khadka appealed on social media on Sunday to vote for the 'Tree' election symbol on both the first-past-the-post and proportional representation ballots via Facebook.
Deuba's wife and former Central Committee member, Dr. Arju Rana Deuba, is currently on a visit to India. There has been no formal announcement on whether she will return by the election time, as she has been visiting various temples in India for the past week.
Deuba's family source stated that both of them will return to Nepal only after the elections. The source said, 'They will return to Nepal only after Falgun 21,' adding, 'The changed Congress leadership will work to win the election, won't they?'
Sources indicate that Arju is in India for a purely religious visit. However, leaders close to Deuba claim that besides follow-up treatment, Deuba might also engage in political discussions regarding the future course of action after the elections during his visit.
However, former Acting President Khadka, while issuing an appeal regarding the House of Representatives elections on Sunday, did not mention whether he would participate in campaigning or voting. Khadka's appeal urged everyone to participate in the voting and help the Congress win.
Khadka's secretariat declined to comment on whether he would participate in campaigning or voting.
Former General Secretary Prakash Man Singh has also not yet joined the election campaign. Singh, who has consistently won from Kathmandu-1 since the first House of Representatives election in 2064 BS until the 2079 election, was also a contender for a ticket this time. Leaders say that since he did not get the ticket, he has not come out for campaigning, and the possibility of him appearing for even one day is slim, despite repeated requests from Prabhal Thapa, the Congress candidate in his constituency.
His wife, Sirjana Singh, who contested against Balen Shah for the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City in 2079 BS, is actively campaigning.
Former General Secretary Dr. Shashank Koirala, a contender from Nawalpur-1, has also not yet emerged for election campaigning. Dr. Koirala, who has consistently won from that constituency since the first Constituent Assembly election in 2064 BS until 2079 BS, has not even reached Nawalpur yet. It is uncertain whether he will go or not. Dr. Koirala's secretariat declined to comment on this matter.
The Deuba group and Dr. Koirala group consider the Special General Convention, held against their dissent, to be against the party statute. The writ filed by Deuba and Khadka, claiming the Special General Convention was unconstitutional, is currently under consideration in the Supreme Court. Leaders have refrained from campaigning partly because the writ they filed is pending.
Although Deuba, Khadka, Singh, Dr. Koirala, and Dr. Rana have not campaigned, leaders who opposed the Special General Convention, including Ramesh Lekhak, Deepak Khadka, and Balkrishna Khand, are active in their home districts campaigning. They have been participating in door-to-door canvassing and election programs with the party candidates.
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
