KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 8

The establishment and rival factions of the Nepali Congress held marathon meetings of their respective faction leaders today to decide on common names of party candidates, but failed to do so due to lack of unanimity on the names.

The rival faction of the party led by senior leader Ramchandra Paudel and his faction leaders Prakash Man Singh, Shekhar Koirala and Shashank Koirala - all aspirants for the post of party president - held a meeting today but failed to agree on one candidate among them.

Paudel faction leader Guru Raj Ghimire said that the four leaders told the faction leaders that the members of the Central Working Committee loyal to their faction would hold their meeting tomorrow morning and propose one name out of four party president aspirants. The four leaders, who won't attend the CWC members meeting tomorrow, will then decide who should be their candidate for party president.

Current NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba will be the candidate for party president again.

Bimalendra Nidhi who was earlier in Deuba's camp has also said that he would contest elections for party president.

The 14th National Convention of the NC is scheduled from December 10 to 12 in Kathmandu.

In response to a journalist's query Guru Raj Ghimire said that Paudel and Shashank Koirala had told them they were ready to give up their plan to contest for party president if Singh and Shekhar Koirala decided to support one of them. In the meeting, Singh was in no mood to give up the race but Shekhar Koirala said that he was ready to settle the issue on the basis of fellow leaders' consensus. Ghimire said CWC leaders from Paudel's faction would pick one name out of four aspirants and give the name to the four aspirants to help them take a call. Ghimire said Paudel and Shashank Koirala also wanted the CWC members to decide on the name as Shekhar Koirala and Prakash Man Singh were determined to contest the party presidency.

Ghimire said the four leaders who want to contest for party president would not sit in the CWC members' meeting tomorrow.

Asked why Paudel faction was taking a long time to decide on a common candidate Ghimire said that it was natural for the faction to take time to decide on the faction's candidate.

In the NC there are many capable, efficient leaders who have made immense sacrifice for the party and thus it is not easy to take a call on the common candidate, Ghimire said.

A version of this article appears in the print on December 09, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.