Nepali Congress to Elect Parliamentary Party Leader After New Year

Kathmandu. The Nepali Congress has decided to elect its parliamentary party leader only after the arrival of the New Year. The party has a provision to form an election committee for the selection of the parliamentary party leader.

In accordance with that provision, President Gagan Thapa has formed an election committee led by Joint General Secretary Prakash Snehi Rasaili. The committee includes Central Member Muna Bhusal and Advocate Raju Katuwal as members. The election committee has stated that it will select the parliamentary party leader only after the arrival of the New Year 2083.

Election committee coordinator and Joint General Secretary Rasaili informed that they are preparing to select the parliamentary party leader only after the New Year begins. 'The party has given us the responsibility to select the parliamentary party leader. We are preparing to select the leader after the New Year,' coordinator Rasaili told RatoPati.

The Congress, which faced an unexpected defeat in the House of Representatives election held on Falgun 21, has won 38 seats, including 18 under the first-past-the-post system and 20 under the proportional representation system. Although the party's standing in the House of Representatives has shrunk, many lawmakers have expressed interest in the position of parliamentary party leader as it holds the status of the main opposition party. Since the leader of the main opposition party is also a member of the Constitutional Council, many have shown interest.

Leaders say that so far, lawmakers Bhishmaraj Aangdembe, Arjun Narsingh KC, Mohan Acharya, and Bharat Khadka have expressed interest in the position. KC and Aangdembe have even publicly stated that their claim to the position is natural.

There is a dispute within the Congress after General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma held a special general convention last Poush amidst disagreements between the then President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Dr. Shekhar Koirala's group. Currently, there are two groups in the Congress: those in favor of the special general convention and those against it.

According to leaders, KC has emerged as a strong candidate from the side favoring the special general convention, while Aangdembe is seen as a strong candidate from the opposing group.

However, the election committee seems to be trying to select the parliamentary party leader through consensus. Coordinator Rasaili informed that the first effort will be for consensus.

According to lawmakers, leaders have also started informal discussions for consensus. An official informed that efforts are underway to reconcile the aspirants by offering positions such as Chief Whip, Deputy Leader, and the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, which the main opposition party is entitled to.