Thapa says that the decision will be revised with the signature of the new president and sent to the Election Commission, and the party will contest the election with the same signature along with new policies and leadership.
What you should know
The debate over whether to hold the Congress general convention before or after the elections has not yet been resolved.
Meanwhile, the controversy over the general convention has intensified within the Congress after the party was registered with the Election Commission under the name and signature of President Sher Bahadur Deuba for the National Assembly and House of Representatives elections on Magh 11 and Falgun 12, raising further suspicions about the leadership transfer process.
Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa has said that the party will hold a general convention before the elections and contest the elections under a new leadership. ‘Many friends have been asking this morning – is the party going to contest the elections under the signature of the current president? I said – no,’ Thapa wrote on social media, ‘Now, a special general convention will be held within the stipulated time as per the statute. From there, the election of a new president will be held. The decision will be corrected with the signature of the new president and sent to the Election Commission. The party will contest the elections with the same signature with a new policy and leadership.’
Sending Deuba’s name to the Election Commission on Sunday means distributing tickets under his own signature in the upcoming House of Representatives elections. If the leadership is not changed by the special or regular general convention before the election, tickets will be distributed under Deuba's leadership. However, General Secretary Thapa has claimed that the leadership will also be changed through the special general convention if it is not regular.
Deuba had announced his retirement from active politics while addressing the central working committee meeting on Asoj 28. At the same time, he had given the responsibility of acting president to Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka. To cast doubt on this announcement made by himself, Deuba has sent a message that he wants to return to active politics after sending his own name and signature, not Khadka's.
The majority of members, including former office bearers of the establishment party, were/are of the opinion that a general convention should not be held before the elections under any circumstances. After Deuba's name was mentioned in the Election Commission to strengthen it, it seems that he himself wanted to distribute tickets without holding a general convention before the elections. Referring to this, General Secretary Thapa has said, 'This is the reason why we called a general convention before the elections. Now there is no alternative to a special general convention. The matter is clear. Let's not get confused.'
Legally, the name of the president is not required when sending names to the Election Commission. There is a provision for sending the names of the officials of the Central Executive Committee. Even in that case, Deuba could have sent Khadka's name instead of sending his own name when he had already given the responsibility of acting president. Sending acting president Khadka's name would have further strengthened the message that he was formally trying to leave active politics. However, Thapa believes that by not doing so, he was intending to become active by registering the party with his own name and signature sample.
