Nepali Congress Expands Central Working Committee to 240 Members

Kathmandu. Nepali Congress has amended its statute to increase the size of the central working committee. The statute passed at the special general convention held from Poush 27 to 30 in Kathmandu's Bhrikutimandap mentions making the central working committee 240-member with 8 ex-officio members.

Previously, the statute passed at the party's 14th general convention in Mangsir 2078 had a provision for a 167-member central committee with 14 office bearers. Accordingly, the central working committee of 167 members was formed at that general convention with 134 elected and 33 nominated members.

The special general convention amended the statute to make it 240-member. The statute passed by the special general convention, and subsequently submitted to and certified by the Election Commission, now provides for a total of 240 members in the Congress central working committee, including elected, nominated, and ex-officio members.

As per the statute, there will be 13 elected office bearers: 1 President, 2 Vice Presidents, 2 General Secretaries, and 8 Joint General Secretaries. The election of the 8 Joint General Secretaries must be mandatorily from among women, indigenous nationalities, Dalits, Madhesis, Khas Arya, Tharus, Muslims, and backward regions.

There is a provision for electing 35 open central members and 9 open women members. 21 members will be elected from 7 provinces, with 3 members from each province. This includes a mandatory provision for at least 1 woman from each province to be elected.

The statute has a provision for electing 54 central members from inclusive clusters. Under the inclusive clusters, there is a provision for 15 indigenous nationalities, 13 Khas Arya, 10 Dalits, 9 Madhesis, 4 Tharus, 3 Muslims, and 1 from backward regions. Quotas for women are also specified within the quotas allocated by cluster. Accordingly, among the 15 indigenous nationalities, 7 must be women; among the 13 Khas Arya, 6 must be women; among the 10 Dalits, 4 must be women and 1 Dalit Madhesi; among the 9 Madhesis, 4 must be women; among the 4 Tharus, 2 must be women; and among the 3 Muslims, 1 must be a woman.

There is a provision for electing 21 central members below 35 years of age. This includes a provision for electing 2 members from each province, totaling 14, and 7 open members. For the 2 members elected from each province, 1 woman is mandatory.

There is a provision for electing 7 members from professional/thematic areas, of which 2 must be women. Similarly, there is a provision for electing 6 members from the Janasamparka Samiti (abroad) and 2 members from minority and disabled groups.

The statute includes a provision for the President to nominate 61 central members. The statute states, 'The Central President shall nominate 61 members to ensure representation of inclusive principles and various sectors.' The Congress has made a provision for the President to nominate members based on the total number of elected members to maintain inclusive balance. The statute also requires the President to ensure one-third women and maintain inclusive balance when making nominations.

Similarly, the statute has a provision for 8 ex-officio central members. The leader of the House of Representatives Parliamentary Party and the presidents of the working committees of all seven provinces will be ex-officio members.

• Provision for nominating 4 office bearers

The 240-member central working committee will have 17 office bearers. The statute has a provision for 13 of them to be elected and 4 to be nominated. The President must nominate 3 Joint General Secretaries (including one woman) and 1 Treasurer from among the elected central members and get them approved by the central working committee.

The statute passed by the special general convention has ensured representation for Dalits, indigenous nationalities, Madhesis, Muslims, minorities, persons with disabilities, and youth below 35 years of age. There is a mandatory provision for at least one-third women in the central committee.

The statute appears to seek to empower the President further by giving the authority to nominate 61 central members. This is interpreted as a provision made for the President's operational convenience.

General Secretary Pradip Poudel informed that the statute passed by the special general convention has been certified by the Election Commission. 'The statute has been certified by the Election Commission,' General Secretary Poudel told Ratopati.

When asked if the provision for increasing the number of central working committee members and office bearers has been made, General Secretary Poudel said, 'We have increased some.'

• This was the central committee structure of the 14th General Convention

The 14th general convention had a provision for a 167-member central committee, with 134 members elected and 33 nominated by the President. It had a provision for 14 office bearers, of which 13 office bearers were to be elected. The President, 2 Vice Presidents, 2 General Secretaries, and 8 Joint General Secretaries were to be elected, while the Treasurer was to be nominated by the President from among the elected central members and approved by the central committee.

Similarly, there was a provision for electing 35 members under open category, 21 from provinces (3 from each province), 9 Dalits, 9 women, 15 indigenous nationalities, 9 Madhesis, 13 Khas Arya, 4 Tharus, 3 Muslims, 1 disabled, 1 minority, and 1 from backward regions. The remaining 33 members were to be nominated by the President.