Kathmandu, March 1

Three leaders of the Nepali Congress will throw their hat in the ring for the top post in the Nepali Congress’s 13th National General Convention slated to begin on March 3.

Acting president of the NC Ramchandra Paudel will vie for the president’s and NC’s founding leader BP Koirala’s son Shashanka Koirala will contest for general secretary from the party’s establishment side.

Prakash Man Singh will be NC vice-president and Ram Sharan Mahat general secretary if Paudel wins (both are nominated positions) as per the team’s understanding, according to the party sources.

Paudel will pick the treasurer from among Padam Narayan Chaudhari, Farmullaha Mansur and Mohammad Aftab Alam by tomorrow afternoon. Paudel will announce his panel at a press meet in party’s headquarters in Sanepa at 4:00pm tomorrow.

Shekhar Koirala has assured his support to Paudel, while Sujata Koirala will decide who to back Paudel or Sitaula only tomorrow. Both Paudel and Sitaula sides have claimed that Sujata would support them.

Rival faction of the establishment side, led by Krishna Prasad Sitaula, will announce its panel during a press meet at Anupam Party Palace in Battisputali. Gagan Thapa will be general secretary from the team.

The panel will pick Umakanta Chaudhari or Ram Kumar Chaudhari for the treasurer’s post tomorrow, according to sources close to Sitaula. Thapa switched to Sitaula’s panel after Paudel refused to provide him an office bearer’s position.

Senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba has not yet decided whether to announce his panel tomorrow or on Thursday.

Prakash Sharan Mahat, who is close to Deuba, said, “We will announce our panel on Thursday after further consultations.” Arjun Narsingh KC will be the panel’s candidate for general secretary and Bimalendra Nidhi for vice-president.

Deuba has not yet decided the candidate for the treasurer’s position.

The two factions of the establishment side could not forge unity and that may strengthen Deuba faction.

At least four press conferences have been scheduled for tomorrow, including two about the party’s NGC preparations and two by the two factions of the establishment side.

President, one general secretary and treasurer are elected posts, while one vice-president, one general secretary and one joint general secretary are the posts to be nominated from within the Central Working Committee members by the elected president NC’s CWC will be an 85-member body, including three elected office bearers, 25 elected CWC members and other members to be nominated by the party president.

Arjun Narsingh KC switches side

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress Central Working Committee member Arjun Narsingh KC, who remained with the party’s establishment side for a long time, switched over to the faction led by party’s senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba.

He also announced his candidacy for the party’s general secretary in the upcoming 13th National General Convention to begin on Thursday.

“It is my final decision and I will not backtrack even if my son-in-law Gagan Thapa or Shashanka Koirala vied for the same post,” he said.

Stating that a small group is trying to capture the party in the name of establishment side, he said he switched over to Deuba faction after the politics of legacy and syndicate became rampant in the establishment side.

KC claimed that the establishment side did not value his contribution though he had been a CWC member for 18 years.

“I was nominated CWC member for three years by Girijababu and was a minister for 17 months. But the establishment side didn’t acknowledge my contribution,” KC said.

He suggested Deuba and Ramchandra Paudel should be made party president and leader of the parliamentary party, respectively, through consensus.