The internal rift within Nepali Congress has intensified as General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma publicly disputed the number of signatures withdrawn regarding the demand for a Special General Convention of the party.
In a meeting with Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari and other officials, Sharma claimed that only 29 individuals have officially withdrawn their signatures from the petition calling for a special convention.
Dispute over numbers
This statement directly contradicts the claims made by the faction led by Party President Sher Bahadur Deuba. Earlier, the Deuba camp submitted a report to the Election Commission alleging that 885 members had rescinded their support for the special convention.
Sharma, aligned with the faction led by Gagan Thapa, argued that signature withdrawals must follow a strict legal and procedural timeline to be considered valid.
Addressing the discrepancies, Sharma compared the situation to a general election to illustrate his point on "due process."
"If someone withdraws their signature, it shouldn't be taken negatively, but it must be understood through the lens of established methods," Sharma stated. "For instance, if candidacy for the House of Representatives is registered on January 20, there is a specific deadline for withdrawal. One cannot show up on February 27 and claim they are no longer a candidate."
Key arguments from Sharma-Thapa faction
According to Sharma, the legitimacy of a withdrawal depends entirely on when it occurred. Sharma argues that signatures could only be legally withdrawn within the 90-day window following the initial demand for the special convention.
He asserted that any withdrawals made after members had already returned to their respective districts (post-deadline) are legally void and should be dismissed by the Commission.
He maintained that only 29 members met the criteria for a valid withdrawal within the stipulated timeframe.
The EC is now tasked with reviewing these conflicting claims to determine whether the threshold for calling a special convention remains in line with the party’s statute.
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