Kathmandu, January 16 The Nepali Congress Central Working Committee will meet on Thursday for the first time after the party’s crushing defeat in parliamentary and provincial elections. Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba today called the CWC meeting amid mounting pressure from party leaders to convene the CWC followed by Maha Samiti to introspect election defeat and chart a course for the party’s revival. Some of the leaders are demanding special general meeting and change of party leadership, while others have said publicly that those above 70 years should not hold executive posts in the party, but play the role of guardians. Younger leaders have attributed election defeat to the leadership’s failure to abide by the party’s statute in running the party. Yesterday, senior NC leader Ramchandra Paudel had urged PM Deuba to start reforming the party by reconstituting its parliamentary board and central work execution committee which were ‘formed in violation of the party’s statute’. However, NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma said Thursday’s discussions would focus more on the selection of candidates and possible alliance with other parties for the upcoming National Assembly election. “Let’s not take this as a one-day meeting. It will continue in the days to come to introspect the election defeat. But the priority is NA election,” he said. NC leader Bal Krishna Khand, who is close to PM Deuba, added that Thursday’s meeting would be a short one and would dwell mostly on how the party should present itself in the upcoming NA election. However, younger NC leaders, who have long been demanding CWC meet, said the discussions would not be limited just to NA election and that they would raise the issue of election loss. “We are not going to stay mum on the issue,” said Pradip Paudel. “Thursday’s meeting will see a situation where a group of leaders will blame the leadership and Deuba for the party’s defeat in elections, while others will try to defend him,” the NC leader said, adding that the leadership cannot run away from reviewing election defeat in the name of ‘national issue of NA election’.