We Are Committed to Keeping the Party United, No Matter the Challenges,’ Say Co-General Secretaries

Kathmandu — The special central convention of the Nepali Congress, called under the leadership of Co-General Secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwoprakash Sharma, is set to begin today.

The convention, scheduled for Poush 27 and 28 (Nepali calendar), will be inaugurated at 1:00 PM Sunday at Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu.

Before the formal opening, rally processions will assemble at 11:00 AM from various points in Kathmandu — including Sundhara, Ratna Park, Shankar Dev Campus, Kamalpokhari, and Kupandol — and proceed toward Bhrikuti Mandap, according to Jagdishwar Narasingh KC, coordinator of the convention’s public mobilization and procession management committee.

For the opening session, a stage has been constructed on the open ground of Bhrikuti Mandap to accommodate 50 guests, and more than 6,000 chairs have been arranged in front of the stage, said Govinda Pudasaini, chair of the stage management committee. The area has been decorated with Congress flags, gates, banners, and promotional materials.

The convention will be chaired by Krisna Sabuj Baniya, president of Congress Kathmandu. Leaders from other political parties have not been invited.

The organizing committee says that most of the delegates attending the special convention from across the country have already arrived.

Registration of participating delegates began this morning at 8:00 AM at the display halls next to the main gate of Bhrikuti Mandap, said Manojmani Acharya, secretary-general and coordinator of the registration secretariat.

Arrangements have been made at the venue to provide food and snacks for the delegates. According to Ramesh Dhamala, chair of the accommodation and food management committee, lodging has been arranged for 3,600 delegates at various locations in Kathmandu, with additional space arranged immediately for another 200–200 delegates.

After the opening, the convention’s closing session will take place on Poush 28 from the morning in the Bhrikuti Mandap auditorium. Details of the policy documents to be discussed at the closing session have not been widely disclosed yet.

On the special convention:
Co-General Secretaries Thapa and Sharma have said that under Article 17(2) of the Nepali Congress statute, there is a legal obligation to convene a special convention within three months of a request. In a joint statement, they appealed to delegates to participate in the special convention, saying it is necessary to uphold the statute and revitalize the party.

They said the demands registered by the delegates — to strengthen the Congress in a changing political environment, make policies in line with public sentiment, and take major decisions for the overall reconstruction of the party with new energy and leadership — make the special convention essential and the responsibility of the center to complete.

On Asoj 29, a petition with signatures from 54.58 percent of the convention delegates was submitted at the central office requesting a special convention.

The party’s establishment wing has reportedly expressed disagreement with the convention.