KATHMANDU: Efforts are underway to find a point of consensus at the Nepali Congress Special General Convention, even after candidates have filed nominations for the new leadership.
General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma is making a final attempt to bridge differences, meeting party President Sher Bahadur Deuba to seek agreement on an eight-point proposal, according to leaders involved in the talks.
One leader from the Special Convention camp said Sharma has proposed that Gagan Thapa be made the party’s prime ministerial candidate after the next election.
“Bishwa has gone to Deuba with a proposal that the president step back from an executive role for now and that Gagan Thapa be made prime minister after the election,” the leader said. “We are making a last attempt to reach a deal. Otherwise, elections will go ahead and a new leadership will be chosen.”
The eight-point proposal includes the following key demands: Deuba should step away from an executive role, accept ownership of the Special Convention, and the party should decide its prime ministerial candidate in advance. It also calls for the party not to enter into any electoral alliance with other parties.
The proposal further seeks the formation of an all-party parliamentary board to handle ticket distribution, a five-member high-level mechanism to focus on election preparations, and a provision barring Deuba from signing candidate tickets.
It also calls for the reports presented at the Special General Convention to be accepted as the party’s political foundation.
With nomination filing already completed, Sharma’s move is seen as a final effort to avoid an election and resolve the leadership dispute through consensus.
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