National Independent Party Concludes District Conventions Amidst Internal Disputes in Madhesh Province

Kathmandu. As of Monday morning, district conventions have been completed in 56 districts, while the convention in Madhesh Province has been prolonged due to internal disputes. The Central Election Commission had announced conventions in 68 districts on Jestha 23 and 24. Of these, conventions have been completed in 56 districts, informed Chief Election Commissioner Bhuvan KC.

According to KC, conventions are ongoing in 12 districts. The convention in Sindhupalchok, Bagmati Province, has been postponed due to disputes. Conventions have not been held in Dolpa and Humla in Karnali Province, Rukum East in Lumbini Province, and Manang and Mustang in Gandaki Province, he informed.

Regarding Madhesh, Provincial General Secretary Manish Kumar Sah stated that the convention has been halted for technical reasons. While internal competition for leadership selection is a democratic practice, group-based power-sharing will not occur, he clarified.

'The agreement for unity was made at the center. Leadership will be elected through the party's procedures, processes, and democratic methods in the convention. Power-sharing in the name of one group or another will not happen. Competition is a beautiful aspect of democracy. The delay in the convention is solely due to technical reasons. Conventions have not been held in any district of Madhesh; the process is ongoing,' Sah told Ratopati.

Across the country, as new leadership has been selected in 56 districts, only three women have been elected. Among those elected are Punam Sharma in Baglung, Sita Parajuli in Arghakhanchi, and Shanta Budha Chhetri in Bardiya. The district leadership selected through the convention appears to be dominated by Chairman Rabi Lamichhane's faction. The Bibeksheel Sajha, Balen group, who joined the unity process, could not establish themselves in leadership.

In RSP, a unity adjustment committee has been formed under the convenership of Bhupdev Shah, who was the General Secretary from the Balen group. Prakashchandra Pariyar, the chief whip from Bibeksheel Sajha, is the head of the unity talks team. Leaders from both groups declined to comment on their inability to secure leadership positions. A leader close to Bibeksheel Sajha urged to ask the responsible senior leaders about this matter. 'I have no comment on this. Please ask the responsible senior leaders,' said the leader.

Another leader close to Balen also declined to comment on not being included in the leadership selection. 'Instead of focusing on who came and who didn't in the convention, we are working. We are focused on making the party even more unified and stronger,' said the leader.

These are the Elected District Presidents

Koshi Province (14 districts)

Om Bhandari in Jhapa, Bharat Kandel in Morang, Suman Khatri in Tehrathum, Rajan Kumar Gurung in Taplejung, Khambahadur Bhujel in Bhojpur, Bhaktanarayan Shrestha in Sankhuwasabha, Prakash Gurung in Panchthar, Krishnabahadur Thapa in Okhaldhunga, Sagar Dahal in Sunsari, Narayan Kaji Karki in Solukhumbu, Mukundkrishna Thapa in Khotang, Dinesh Mahat in Ilam, and Bhuvan Thapa in Dhankuta have been elected. Election has been halted in Udayapur due to delegate disputes. Chitra Kumar Karki and Janak Basnet are competing with panels here.

Madhesh Province (8 districts)

The convention has been postponed in Mahottari due to escalating internal disputes. Disputes that occurred during the local level conventions escalated into physical altercations by the time of the district convention. The convention has also been postponed in Rautahat due to disputes. Aspirants for the chairmanship here include Pradip Saha, Ajay Saha, Rabindra Yadav, Rajesh Chaudhary, among others.

In Siraha and Parsa, as internal disputes intensified, the convention was postponed as clashes between two factions seemed imminent. The Election Commission is preparing to hold the convention in Dhanusha tomorrow (Tuesday). Conventions in Sarlahi and Saptari have been indefinitely postponed due to internal disputes. In Bara, the dispute took an ugly turn after the expulsion of Chairman Chandan Swarnakar from the party. Dissatisfied factions protested at the central office in Banesthali, claiming that the center did not recognize the elected committee of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City.

Bagmati Province (13 districts)

Dinesh Basnet in Dolakha, Raja Shakya in Kathmandu, Rameshwar Basnet in Bhaktapur, Rameshwar Gajurel in Nuwakot, Sanjiv Pathak in Makwanpur, Pravin Dhakal in Kavre, Basanta Bhatta in Rasuwa, Avinash Basnet in Sindhuli, Rajan Aryal in Dhading, Ramesh Kumar Rayamajhi in Ramechhap, Minimadhav Khanal in Chitwan, and Buddharatna Mahajan in Lalitpur have been elected. The convention in Sindhupalchok has been postponed.

Gandaki Province (11 districts)

Biswas Bhandari in Syangja, Yadunath Adhikari in Kaski, Jalbahadur Purja in Parbat, Ashok Sapkota in Lamjung, Punam Sharma in Baglung (complaint received despite claimed consensus), Yuvraj Rokkya in Myagdi, Bishwo Bastola in Tanahun, and Suvarna Rokaha Chhetri in Gorkha have been elected. Elections are underway in Nawalpur, while conventions have not been held in Manang and Mustang.

Lumbini Province (12 districts)

Hari Shrestha in Gulmi, Ravi Pandey in Nawalparasi, Bishnuprasad Bhandari in Palpa, Shivkumar Subedi in Kapilvastu, Kiran Khanal in Dang, Bikash Pokharel in Pyuthan, Vivek Kumar Shrestha in Banke, Shanta Budha Chhetri in Bardiya, Balaram Thapa in Rolpa, Sita Parajuli in Arghakhanchi, and Mahendraprasad Upadhyay in Rupandehi have been elected. The convention has not been held in Rukum East.

Karnali Province (10 districts)

Prem KC in Kalikot, Prakash Nepali in Salyan, Ramesh Kumar Sapkota in Surkhet, Bakhtabahadur Bhandari in Dailekh, Dron Khadka in Rukum West, Laxman Aidi in Humla, and Makarbahadur Bhandari in Jumla have been elected. Elections are underway in Jajarkot, while elections have not been held in Mugu and Dolpa.

Sudurpashchim Province (9 districts)

Bhim Nath in Baitadi, Satyaraj Upadhyay in Bajhang, Omprakash Rawal in Achham, Surendra Awasthi in Dadeldhura, Kabindra Thaguna in Kailali, and Padam Bishwakarma in Kanchanpur have been elected. Elections are underway in Darchula, Dot, and Bajura.

On Jestha 23, conventions were held in Jhapa, Morang, Tehrathum, Taplejung, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Okhaldhunga, and Sunsari in Koshi Province; Mahottari and Rautahat in Madhesh Province; Dolakha, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Nuwakot, Makwanpur, Kavre, Sindhupalchok, Sindhuli, Dhading, and Ramechhap in Bagmati Province.

Conventions were held in Syangja, Kaski, Parbat, Baglung, and Myagdi in Gandaki Province; Gulmi, Nawalparasi, Palpa, Kapilvastu, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, and Rolpa in Lumbini Province; Kalikot and Salyan in Karnali Province; and Baitadi, Bajhang, and Dadeldhura in Sudurpashchim Province.

On Jestha 24, conventions were held in Udayapur, Solukhumbu, Khotang, and Ilam in Koshi Province; Siraha, Dhanusha, Parsa, and Sarlahi in Madhesh Province; and Chitwan, Lalitpur, and Rasuwa in Bagmati Province.