KATHMANDU: The ruling Nepali Congress held a meeting of its top office-bearers on Friday morning at party president Sher Bahadur Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha, amid rising concerns within the party over the performance of the coalition government and internal leadership dynamics.
Federal ministers representing the Congress in the current government were also invited to the meeting, along with key provincial and district leaders. Among those who addressed the gathering were Ram Krishna Khan, NC’s Rupandehi district president, and Amar Pun, Lumbini Province president.
Despite bringing ministers into the discussion, no formal deliberation was held on a possible reshuffle, according to senior leader Arjun Narsingh KC.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, KC said that while concerns over Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s working style and the performance of Nepali Congress ministers in the cabinet were noted informally, they did not become a central point of discussion.
“There was no conversation about a cabinet reshuffle or any official review of the government’s current role. The discussion remained general,” KC said.
The meeting also touched on the upcoming by-election in Rupandehi Constituency-3, scheduled for November 3. KC said initial discussions were held regarding preparations but emphasized that no decision has been made regarding a candidate.
“There was no discussion about names or potential contenders,” he said. “It’s premature to speculate who the candidate might be. No name was proposed or debated at this stage.”
He confirmed that former Home Minister and senior leader Bal Krishna Khand, who is a native of the constituency, was present at the meeting and spoke on the matter. However, KC clarified that no decision was taken on whether Khand would be fielded as the party’s candidate.
“It could be Khand, but that’s just one possibility. Nothing has been decided yet,” KC said. “The discussion focused more on unifying the party and assessing the current ground reality in the constituency before moving ahead.”
The meeting concluded with a broad consensus among party leaders that the Nepali Congress must first evaluate the political environment and internal party dynamics in Rupandehi-3 before finalizing any nomination.
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