Taking Shekhar and Gagan into their confidence and their competition even in the field, the 6 suspected ex-officers are increasing the pressure on Deuba for the future leadership.
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6 ex-officers of the Congress have increased pressure on the chairman of the party, Sher Bahadur Deuba, to move the future leadership of the party from the founding party.
While there is growing suspicion that Deuba will choose one of the leaders of the other party, Shekhar Koirala and General Minister Gagan Thapa, former office bearers Prakashman Singh, Vimalendra Nidhi, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Vijay Kumar Gachchdar, Gopalman Shrestha and Shashank Koirala increased pressure on Deuba through a joint campaign.
Deuba is retiring from the party leadership from the 15th Congress as there is a provision in the constitution that he cannot serve as chairman for more than two terms. Deuba has stopped calling faction meetings since the beginning of his second term. He has also stopped consulting with the leaders of the establishment party about party and power politics except for some limited close ones. This also confused the ex-officer.
Deuba's latest role has created confusion within the organization and some of the leaders close to the organization started moving towards Shekhar and Chief Minister Gagan. They are working to become a candidate from among themselves by increasing pressure on Deuba.
They have been having lunch and dinner at their respective residences, and on the occasion of Democracy Day last Thursday, they organized a message tea party at the residence of former Chief Minister Shashank Koirala at Maharajgunj. Although many party leaders were absent in Chiapan, a former office-bearer said that six former office-bearers tried to send a message that their relevance in party politics is not weak. According to him, there was an alliance between Singh, Nidhi and Shashank in the beginning. Three other former officials have been added to it.
Former Deputy Chairman Shrestha said that 6 former officers will go together until the next convention. He claims that Deuba's successor will be decided from among those who helped and supported Deuba as Prime Minister and Chairman in different periods.
'This alliance of 6 people will continue till the 15th Congress, others will be added to it' Shrestha said, 'Everyone should be able to be a candidate, but one person must be nominated for leadership from among us, and such a person will be put forward for the chairmanship, under whom the election will be easy for others as well.'
6 people are seen as aspiring to take leadership from the establishment side. Purna Bahadur Khadka, the current vice-chairman from the founding party, considers himself a natural candidate for the chairmanship. Among the 6 ex-officers, Singh and Nidhi competed with Deuba for the chairmanship in the 14th Congress. In the second round of elections between Deuba who got the most votes and the leader of the other party, Koirala, after no one got 50 percent of the votes in the first round, both ex-officers supported Deuba.
Nidhi, who supported Deuba since the party's 10th convention held in Pokhara, rebelled and nominated a candidate from the Deuba group in the 14th convention. Singh, who supported Deuba during the party split, joined the Koirala group after the merger. Singh, who supported Sushil Koirala in the 12th Congress and Ramchandra Paudel in the 13th Congress, became the President himself after rebelling from the 'Koirala' group in the 14th Congress.
Sitaula, who supported Sushil Koirala in the 12th Congress, became a candidate himself without supporting Ramchandra Poudel in the 13th Congress saying that he would take over the legacy of the Koirala group after his death. Gagan Thapa also became a candidate from the Sitaula group when he contested for the position of Chief Minister for the first time.
In the main contest between Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ramchandra Poudel in the 13th session, no one could get fifty percent of the votes in the first phase. Sitaula supported Deuba in the second round of the election, so Deuba was elected as the chairman. Since then, Sitaula has been in Deuba's favor.
The former vice-chairman Gachchdar merged the Madheshi Janadhikhar Forum (Loktantric) party he led with the Congress before the 074 elections. Since then, he has been in the founding party and has remained anonymous since he was dragged into the government land case of Lalita Niwas in Baluwatar. By joining the group of former officials, he has recently increased his activity.
Nainsingh Mahar, a central member of the Congress, says that the activity of the former office-bearers may have increased due to the President's desire to keep the establishment party a block. It is his understanding that such activity may have been done through Deuba's green signal.
Some of the leaders of the establishment party started moving around, Sher Bahadur Dai would definitely want to have the person he wants in the leadership tomorrow. If he cannot keep his team together, the leader/activist can move around. It may be difficult to return later," says Mahar. "The chairman may want to have a successor from the team he won. For that, your team must be 'intact'.'
The ex-officer has prepared to discuss the future leadership of the party with intellectuals and civil society leaders in the capital within a few days. Although the former office bearers are constantly increasing pressure to hold a meeting of the founding party to give the message that the future successor will be from his own team, many people understand that Deuba will not be clear about the candidate until he is the prime minister.
