Speaking to Kantipur, Congress General Secretary Poudel said that although allegations of interference were made in many places, it was difficult to prove it and in some places, votes were not counted according to the number of active members.
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The Congress has started updating its membership targeting the upcoming central general convention to be held from 9 to 14 Asoj. Only about 200,000 members have joined in the one and a half months of the membership update campaign launched by the Congress to transform the party digitally. However, Congress General Secretary Pradeep Poudel claimed that about 500,000 members will be updated by 21 Jestha. Kantipur's Kulchandra Neupane spoke to him, who is also the coordinator of the membership update campaign:
Why update renewed members again?
There is a provision in the statute that can recommend action against those who do not cooperate with candidates in the election. However, despite allegations of interference in many places, it was difficult to prove it. In some places, no votes were cast according to the number of active members.
For example, Jhapa-5 has 7,900 active members. Not more than 1,800 votes were cast. In Saptari-2, while 7,100 members were cast, not more than 4,200. There are 17 such constituencies. Since it was not possible to verify who did not vote or did not cooperate, the update had to be done to get a commitment from the members.
Who will be updated?
Only those who are already members will be updated. During the preparation for the 15th General Convention, about 500,000 memberships were renewed. In addition, there are about 1.5 million members who have been entered into the system as new. Those 650,000 members are going to be updated.
What does it mean to re-commit to membership?
During the update, the member has to fill out a form. In it, there is a commitment that ‘I will actively participate in the Nepali Congress campaign, vote in the elections and will not engage in activities that will weaken the party’. Along with that, details such as name, address, telephone number, social media ID, family voter number, citizenship number, national identity card number, voter number, qualification, contribution to political movements are kept.
Why was the update done despite the opposition, it could not have been done after the general convention?
The party currently does not have a systematic digital statement. There are only about 1.5 lakh telephone numbers. Many of them are duplicated or incomplete. There are no social media details. If members can be connected digitally, it will be easier to exchange party information. With the increasing influence of digital media in politics, the aim is that Congress should also be digitized.
Another important aspect is the preservation of history. There are leaders within the party who have spent a long time in prison, from hijacking a plane. The attempt is to document and preserve their contributions. It is not an attempt to erase history, but to preserve it. Updating before the general convention is mandatory. Everyone does it. After the general convention, everyone thinks that it will be done later. It is not mandatory. That is why it is being tried now.
You have been accused of trying to unilaterally capture membership, right?
The current leadership did not create a new structure. If it is said that there is no trust in the ward president, then it should be said openly. Now, for the first time in history, the ward president has been given such a big responsibility because he knows the members. You know who is honest and who has joined another party.
