Congress leaders and cadres from Gandaki Province have taken a stand in favor of holding a party convention before the elections. They have said that if possible, a new leadership should be elected through a special convention, if not a regular convention, before the elections.

Speaking at a special gathering held by the Gandaki Province Committee of the Nepali Congress in Pokhara on Saturday, most of the leaders and cadres demanded that the general convention be held within Mangsir as the term of the central committee has already expired. At the gathering organized to discuss the current situation of the country, the responsibilities of the Nepali Congress and the 15th general convention, they expressed anger at the leadership, saying that the Congress was being held captive by indecision.

Nepali Congress leader and former minister Yagya Bahadur Thapa said that going to the general election with new leadership, new ideas, new policies and programs would be the best option. 'A regular general convention should have been held before the election, but there is no sign of it being held,' he said. 'If the regular convention is not held, and the path to a special convention is closed, there will be no future for the Congress.' He accused Sher Bahadur Deuba of trying to lead the party towards holding a general convention after the election rather than at his own will.

Nawalpur Congress President Mahendra Dhawaj GC argued that it cannot be stopped legally when 54 percent of the general convention delegates have already signed for a special general convention. ‘It was said that the general secretary was trying to capture the party when he presented the general convention schedule in the meeting,’ he said, ‘The general secretary does not capture the party when he fulfills his responsibilities. We also understand that. There is no need to pull any strings. We should go straight to a special general convention.’

Congress’s Gorkha President Nandu Neupane claimed that people’s trust in the Congress would increase if a new leadership is selected before the elections. Mahasamiti member Bishnukumar Kandel said that it would not be possible to go to the general elections without holding a general convention immediately. She said that Congress leaders and workers are not happy due to the activities done by the leadership while in power, allegations of corruption and lack of transparency. ‘The Nepali Congress has lost trust due to various reasons. A general convention is needed to restore trust,’ she said, ‘We cannot face the Falgun 21 elections without a general convention.’

Congress Kaski Secretary Bhanu Dhakal said that during the long tenure of the Congress government, there was delay, corruption, arbitrariness and discontent among the people. ‘But the cadres kept saying that this was a lie, we protected the leader, and we did not listen to the people’s voice,’ he said, ‘That situation led to the incidents of Bhadra 23 and 24.’ She expressed dissatisfaction saying that instead of initiating the process of a regular general convention, the central committee held factional meetings in the provinces and districts to postpone the general convention. ‘A special general convention is necessary because of the special situation that arose after the incidents of 23 and 24 Bhadra,’ he said, ‘When a special general convention should have been held under the leadership of Deuba, he bypassed it and went to Singapore in the name of treatment and played games behind the scenes.’

Congress general convention representative Saraswati Timilsina expressed surprise at the Congress’s silence on the viewpoint of viewing the movement of 23 and 24 Bhadra while the month-long meeting was going on. She urged the party to be prepared for the elections, saying that the Congress leaders still have the illusion that the parliament will be restored and there will be no elections. She stressed that the party’s general convention should be held before the elections.

Gorkha 2 ‘A’ Congress President Dirgha Gurung said that it was not possible to go to the elections with a person who has been leading the party for a long time. General convention representative Premraj Poudel accused that an attempt was made to postpone the general convention by spreading the illusion of a split in the party. ‘There is a demand from the youth to change this leadership,’ he said, ‘The party should not be confused by the fact that the party will be weak or split during the party convention.’ Congress provincial member Ashiq Gurung pointed out that there was a risk that the same leaders could repeat themselves after the convention and suggested that 50 percent youth participation should be ensured. Mahasamiti member Chetan Poudel said that the Congress has fallen behind due to the practice of giving birth to youth but not giving them responsibilities, and stressed that a special general convention should be held on time for youth participation. At the

gathering, provincial president Shukraraj Sharma said that it was sad that no decision had been made even after the central committee meeting was held for a month. He expressed dissatisfaction saying that it took a month to make a decision in an hour even though it was part of the regular process to hold a general convention after the deadline. He expressed his opinion that it should be admitted to the people that it was a mistake to join hands with the Maoists and UML in the past.

The meeting of the Congress Gandaki on Saturday also decided to hold the 15th general convention within the month of Mangsir. The decision states that it is unfortunate that there is a debate on whether to hold a regular general convention or a special general convention at the current time, when the term of the Congress's local and central working committees is about to end. The meeting of the central working committee, which has been sitting on this issue for about a month, has not been able to take a decision on this issue, which has created an atmosphere of confusion.

‘This gathering concludes that the 15th general convention should be held within the coming Mangsir month as there is a pressing need for the Nepali Congress to improve from the current situation and become a new and transformed Congress and go with the people in the upcoming elections,’ the decision states. ‘If for any reason the regular general convention cannot be held, then as per the party’s statute, a special general convention, as demanded by 54 percent of the general convention delegates, must be held within the middle of Mangsir and this meeting decides to send it to the Central Working Committee.’