Deuba yet to fill NC positions

Kathmandu, May 14

Two months after Sher Bahadur Deuba was declared Nepali Congress president, he still has not taken any initiative to fill the party’s vacant posts by nominating vice president, general secretary, joint general secretary, spokesperson and 14 Central Working Committee members and forming the 28 departments of the party.

All nominations and formation of the party’s departments, committees and bodies should be completed within two months after the National General Convention concludes as per the party’s statute. Results for all CWC positions were published on March 14.

Previous party presidents Girija Prasad Koirala and Sushil Koirala were also criticised for delaying nominations for the vital posts and not forming the party’s departments, thus affecting the party functioning. As Deuba appears to be following his predecessors, the party’s rank and file are worried the delay will hamper the party’s functioning.

Sources close to Deuba said he would most probably decide on internal nominations only in mid-July after the Parliament endorses the new fiscal budget.

“As Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal recently reached a gentlemen’s agreement to change government leadership after the Parliament endorses the budget, Deuba may wait till then.

Deuba will decide only after assessing how national politics moves after endorsement of the budget,” said a source belonging to the Deuba camp.

As the ruling coalition partner UCPN-M is not assured whether Oli will hand over the reins of government to the UCPN-M as per the gentlemen’s agreement, the NC will wait and watch for the next two to three months, according to Congress sources.

As there are many aspirants for limited party office bearers’ posts to be nominated by the party president, Deuba is facing difficulty deciding.

Bimalendra Nidhi, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Purna Bahadur Khadka, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Gopal Man Shrestha, KB Gurung, Balkrishna Khand, Prakash Sharan Mahat, Ramesh Lekhak and NP Saud, including others are aspirants for office bearers’ posts as well as party spokesperson.

“Many friends might aspire for the party’s vital positions. However, the party president should not delay his decision as taking more time in nominating will affect the party’s functioning,” said NC CWC member Ananda Prasad Dhungana, who belongs to the rival faction of the party led by Ramchandra Paudel.