KAPILVASTU: Nepali Congress (NC) leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala has raised objections to the nomination of central committee members by party President Sher Bahadur Deuba, asserting that these nominations violate the party’s constitution.
Addressing the NC Kapilvastu District Conference on Wednesday, Koirala expressed concerns that President Deuba had not adhered to the party’s rules and regulations.
He emphasized that the issue at hand was not a mere squabble over shares. “The chairman did not follow the rules and regulations,” Koirala remarked, highlighting the alleged breach of the party’s constitution in the nomination process.
Koirala advocated that central committee positions should be reserved for dedicated, experienced, and deserving individuals, suggesting that such appointments should not be met with opposition.
On September 21, Deuba nominated eight central committee members, a move that drew Koirala’s discontent. He criticized the nomination of certain individuals who, according to him, were not in alignment with the party’s statute.
Deuba had previously nominated eight central members on September 4, as well as two additional central members on August 16, 2022.
Koirala particularly voiced his displeasure over the nominations of Arjun Prasad Joshi, Kiranraj Sharma Paudel, Bharat Shah, Lakshmi Khatiwada, and Ganga Shahi, alleging that their appointments violated the party’s constitution. Joshi lost in the Gandaki province president election, while Shah suffered defeat in the Lumbini province president election. Kiran was unsuccessful in Baglung as a convention representative, and Khatiwada faced defeat in the Sunsari Region No. 1 Regional president election. Shahi similarly lost the election for Lumbini Member.
Clause 59 of the NC constitution explicitly states, “A person who has been defeated as a candidate in a session of any level of the party shall not be eligible to be a candidate for any position of higher or lower level during the same session.”
Furthermore, the party’s constitution, as detailed in Article 65, outlines that “the person who gets the second most votes after the elected chairman in the election of the chairman of the working committee at all levels of the party shall be a member of the relevant working committee.”
President Deuba has, so far, nominated 31 out of the 33 central members permitted under the party’s statute.
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