The issue of whether to hold a regular or special general convention within Mangsir is increasing polarization between the establishment and other parties in the Congress. After President Sher Bahadur Deuba gave the responsibility of acting president to Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka, members of the establishment party have strongly criticized General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma, saying that there is no justification for a special general convention.

The establishment party argues that a regular general convention cannot be held within Mangsir when the election has been announced on 21 Falgun. They have argued that a regular general convention is not even possible before Baisakh. Acting President Khadka had said at the beginning of the meeting that there was no need to hold a special general convention since it was time for the regular general convention. Immediately after assuming the responsibility of the acting president, Khadka had convened a meeting of office bearers and members of the establishment party on Wednesday and sought suggestions.

‘The general convention representatives have requested that a regular general convention be held within Mangsir, otherwise a special general convention should be held,’ a central member said, quoting Khadka. ‘This should not lead to a situation of bitterness within the party. We should prepare for the agenda of the regular general convention so that a special general convention does not have to be held.’ He did not specify when and on what date the regular general convention would be held.

Leader Shekhar Koirala, who has been silent about the signature campaign launched to hold a special general convention if it is not regular, has supported this campaign of the general secretaries in Thursday's meeting. Despite that, Koirala remained adamant that a regular general convention should be held within Mangsir to give new life and bring freshness to the party across the country.

'I am confident that the General Secretary will bring a schedule to hold the general convention in the coming Mangsir and I will have my full support for it,' Koirala said, 'I understand that the signature campaign that has been raised in the context of the special general convention and that friends from within the Congress have been enthusiastically conducting is to fill the energy in the Congress.'

General Secretary Thapa, while putting 10 agendas for discussion in the meeting, has put forward the priority of holding a regular general convention in Mangsir. General Secretaries Thapa and Sharma have repeatedly made it public that the option of a special general convention should be pursued only if the central working committee is unable to provide a regular general convention schedule within Mangsir. A petition was registered on Wednesday with the signatures of 54 percent of the general convention delegates demanding a special general convention.

Thapa reminded the meeting that while giving Khadka the responsibility of acting president, President Deuba had instructed to complete the general convention within the time specified by the statute. He said that the work of renewing active memberships has been mostly completed and that new memberships can be opened for those who want to take it.

The establishment-oriented members, on the other hand, expressed their anger by signing for the special general convention in a hurry to show that they were in the lead when the country was in crisis and needed to move forward by unifying everyone. Central member Guru Baral was of the opinion that signing was a way to divide leaders and workers by saying that they were in favor of progress or status quo even down to the ward level. ‘How can we believe that we can hold a regular general convention again in Mangsir after not being able to work for three years?’ he said. Baral also urged the two general secretaries to give a unity statement for greater unity within the party.

Another central member Mohan Basnet had expressed strong anger by saying that signing the nomination to become the party president was necessary when the country was in a crisis. He said that a special general convention could not be held. Central members Devendra Raj Kandel and Shiva Humgain had also said that a regular general convention could not be held in Mangsir, saying that whether the elections to be held in Falgun should be managed or the general convention should be held.

Central member Rajiv Koirala, on the other hand, argued that the signature campaign would not lead to party division. He argued that this campaign in the Congress had given a positive message to the party at a time when it seemed as if there were no parties in the country.

While UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli is increasing informal dialogue with political parties including the Congress to restore the House of Representatives, a strong opinion has emerged in the Congress in favor of elections. Most of the Congress leaders have given a clear message that they will not cooperate with Oli again and support the restoration of the parliament. In Tuesday's meeting, Congress President Deuba, without even mentioning the context of the restoration of the House of Representatives, had expressed the view that there was no alternative to going to elections to return the country to the constitutional path.