KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 12

The National Convention of the main opposition Nepali Congress, scheduled from February 19 to 22, 2021, is likely to be pushed forward due to the COVID-19 crisis.

NC Vice-president Bimalendra Nidhi said the party would not be able to hold its National Convention on the scheduled date as COVID-19 crisis had affected distribution of the party's active membership in eight districts of Province 2 and there were differences in the district chapters of the party in four districts — Dadeldhura, Rasuwa, Kavrepalanchowk and Sindhupalchowk.

Nidhi said the party committees in Province 2 had not been adjusted and unless the adjustments took place, distribution of active membership, a prerequisite for holding the National Convention, could not take place.

Nidhi said party President Sher Bahadur Deuba had held a meeting with senior leader Ramchandra Paudel and Krishna Prasad Sitaula a month ago to discuss deferment of the National Convention.

Nidhi said the party would call its Central Working Committee meeting by mid-October, which would take a call on deferment of the National Convention. As per constitutional provision, the main opposition party will have to hold its National Convention before 12 September 2021.

The four-year tenure of the Deuba-led committee elected in 2016 ended in February this year. The party, however, extended Deuba's tenure by one year citing ‘special circumstances’ as allowed by the party statute.

The NC rival faction led by Paudel had accused Deuba of unfairly extending his tenure. Sher Bahadur Deuba wants to vie for the party presidency again. Nidhi told Deuba he wants to be a candidate for party president this time. Other leaders who want to fight for party presidency are Paudel, Shashank Koirala, Shekhar Koirala and Krishna Prasad Sitaula.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 13, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.