Ruling NC holding office-bearers’ meeting today

KATHMANDU: Ruling Nepali Congress (NC) is holding an office-bearers’ meeting today.

To be held at Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha, the meeting will dwell on the preparations of the upcoming 14^th General Convention of the party.

Officer-bearers and former office-bearers will participate in the meeting. The meeting will discuss disputes seen in the distribution of active memberships and the preparation of the general convention, said Chief Secretary of the NC’s Central Party Office Krishna Prasad Paudel.

Despite discussions on the postponement of the date of the ward and municipal conventions in the meeting which began from Friday, no concrete decision has been taken so far. Originally, the ward convention had been slated for July 27 but it is almost unlikely to be held on time due to row in active memberships.

Sources have said the office-bearers’ meeting will prepare the new schedule without affecting the date of the14^th General Convention.

Earlier, Prime Minister Deuba had directed to tweak schedule of ward and municipal conventions without affecting the date of the 14^th General Convention slated for September 1-4.

Nepali Congress has been under legal compulsion to hold the 14^th General Convention by September 1-4.  The NC had extended the date of the general convention by one more year even though the party’s mega event needs to be held within four years as per the statute.

The election of office-bearers of the central and provincial levels should be held within five years. The Political Parties Act allows six month extension in case the elections could not be held within five years. The NC had extended the date of general convention by six months and this last extended period is expiring in September.

Hence, the NC has scheduled its 14^th General Convention for September 1-4. The deadline has been affected after the dispute of active membership has been a hard nut to crack for the party.