Nepali Congress (NC) has scheduled its 15th General Convention for late September 2026, aiming for an official inauguration on September 9 to coincide with BP Koirala’s birth anniversary. General Secretary Pradip Paudel confirmed that the timeline will be presented during the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting, with the goal of concluding the leadership transition by late September.
The general convention will follow an eight-tier structure, ranging from local wards to the central level. According to Assistant General Secretary Yogendra Chaudhary, active membership distributions are inching closer to completion. However, debates have surfaced regarding the validity of current memberships, with some leaders suggesting a complete overhaul due to poor voter turnout in previous elections compared to the high number of registered active members.
A significant hurdle remains the ongoing legal battle in the Supreme Court concerning the party's legitimacy. Former President Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leader Dr Shekhar Koirala are currently boycotting the incumbent CWC, which was formed through a "Special General Convention" on January 11-14, 2026. The court is set to hear the dispute on April 5. The Deuba-Koirala faction maintains that their participation in the upcoming convention depends entirely on the court’s verdict regarding which committee holds legitimacy.
To bridge this internal rift, some leaders from the Deuba camp have proposed forming a unified "General Convention Organizing Committee" by dissolving the current disputed body. While the establishment faction—led by Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma—is hesitant to dissolve the current committee, they are open to nominating disgruntled senior leaders to the CWC to ensure party unity.
Despite the friction, leaders from both sides are reportedly engaged in informal dialogues. General Secretary Paudel emphasized that the current leadership seeks to move forward with the guidance of veteran leaders, provided there is a mutual agreement on party procedures and legal frameworks.
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