KATHMANDU: The ward convention of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) scheduled for July 27 has been postponed.

An office-bearers’ meeting held in Budhanilkantha this morning postponed the ward convention slated for July 27, citing lack of preparations, informed Bishwa Prarkash Sharma, the spokesperson of the NC.

“The ward convention had been slated for July 27. There are only three days left before the scheduled date. The ward convention, hence, has been adjourned due to the lack of time,” said Sharma.

He further said that the adjournment of the ward convention, however, does mean that the schedule of the 14th General Convention will be postponed.

Ruling NC’s office-bearers’ meeting is underway at Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha.

Officer-bearers and former office-bearers are participating in the meeting. The meeting are dwelling on 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.

Sharma said that the Active Membership Probe Committee will submit the report on the active memberships to President Deuba at 9 am on July 27 and the office-bearers’ meeting to be held later in the afternoon (that day) will fix the date for ward convention of the party.

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

Nepali Congress has been under legal pressure to hold the 14th 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 party statute.

The election of office-bearers of the central and provincial levels of the party should be held within every 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 14th General Convention for September 1-4. The deadline has been affected after the dispute of active memberships has been a hard nut to crack for the party.