The Congress Central Committee meeting, which was called for Saturday after being postponed repeatedly due to controversy over whether to hold a general convention before the Falgun 21 elections, has not yet begun.

Although the meeting was called at 1 pm, confusion persists as there is still no agreement on the general convention. Party office bearers and central members have reached Sanepa. However, a central member said that the meeting is being delayed as acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka is making the final effort to reach an agreement.

President Sher Bahadur Deuba has prepared for the regular general convention by mid-December with 'conditions'. The regular general convention schedule will be brought by mid-December, but 54 percent of the general convention delegates have put forward the condition that the petition demanding a special general convention signed at the party's central office in Sanepa on Asoj 29 should be withdrawn.

The special general convention supporters, however, are not agreeing to withdraw it, saying that if a regular general convention is held, the demand for a special general convention will automatically lapse. The special general convention supporters have been rejecting the condition of withdrawing the petition, saying that the establishment party has no intention of holding a general convention and is trying to sidestep it by only bringing the schedule. The meeting is being delayed due to the lack of agreement on this.

According to another party official, even if there is no agreement, the meeting will start at least once to take a decision on party registration for the National Assembly elections. The last date for registering parties for the National Assembly elections has been set for Sunday, November 20. 

While there is intense controversy within the party over the issue of the general convention, there has been a complicated debate on whether to send the name of President Sher Bahadur Deuba or the name of Acting President Khadka when registering the party. Deuba had announced his retirement from active politics in the meeting on September 28 by handing over the position of Acting President to Vice President Khadka. 

Despite being absent from the party meeting, Deuba has shown his activeness from his residence in the decision-making process within the Congress. Most leaders of the establishment party are in favor of sending President Deuba's name to the Election Commission.

‘If the president himself personally proposes the name of the acting president, it would be a different matter, otherwise who would say that the name of the president should not be sent?’ An official close to Deuba said, ‘It is likely that the decision will be made to send the name of the president.’ 

According to the House of Representatives Election Act, there is a provision that the central executive committee of the concerned party or an official of a similar committee should be designated to provide the formal letter of candidate nomination. The issue of whose name, President Deuba and acting president Khadka, will be sent to the Election Commission seems to create a new dispute within the Congress. Leaders close to the Congress, including general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma, are in favor of designating the name of the acting president since President Deuba has already given the message that he has left active politics.