Amid the controversy over whether to hold a regular or special general convention in the Congress, digital platforms like Facebook, X, and TikTok have become a place for supporters of both sides to campaign, counter-accusations, and establish agendas.
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The dispute between the establishment and other parties over the date of the 15th Congress and the special general convention has recently taken the form of a 'poster war' on social media.
While party president Sher Bahadur Deuba's side is adamant about holding a regular general convention, general secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma's side is pushing for a special general convention.
Amid the controversy, digital platforms like Facebook, X (Twitter) and TikTok have become a place for supporters of both sides to campaign, accuse and establish agendas. The competition to take their agendas to the masses through posters, hashtags, profile frames and viral appeals has intensified.
'Special general convention to break arrogance'
Leaders and cadres demanding a special general convention have started aggressive campaigning on social media. They have mainly put forward two main agendas, namely 'breaking the arrogance of the leadership' and 'enabling the Congress to fight alone in the upcoming elections'.
A poster being widely shared on social media reads, 'Not to break, but to break arrogance and arrogance! To unite the Congress so that it can fight elections alone! Let's go to Kathmandu on Poush 26, make the special general convention a success!!'
Similarly, another poster appeals, 'Let's make the second special general convention of the Nepali Congress to be held in Kathmandu on Poush 27 and 28 a grand success.'
Such posters are seen everywhere, from the Facebook profiles of activists in favor of the special general convention to public groups and pages named 'Nepali Congress'. The youth and Gen-G generation close to the general secretaries are making the campaign more creative by distributing the logo of the 'Special General Convention', creating Facebook profile frames and changing the DP (display picture).
Posts like 'Who needs a photo with the logo of the special general convention? I will send you the link, follow me and inbox me,' have been repeated repeatedly in groups called 'Nepali Congress'. Some activists have succeeded in making it 'trending' by explaining the date of the general convention, articles of the statute and the issue of internal democracy through short videos on TikTok.
Establishment faction's 'Hashtag SaveNC' campaign
The establishment faction close to Deuba is portraying the demand for a special general convention as a 'plot to kill the leadership' and a 'conspiracy to split the party'. Establishment-supporting leaders are using hashtags like 'SaveNC', 'Focus on Regular', and 'Boycott Special' on social media to appeal to cadres to focus on the regular general convention.
A poster made public by establishment-supporting cadres reads, 'Let's join the regular general convention to build a strong and robust Congress. The only basis to unite the younger generation, regular general convention, the youth's support!'
Claiming that the youth support is in favor of the establishment, the posters have made 'consensus', 'unity', and 'institutional stability' the main messages. Some leaders have termed the demand for a special general convention as 'chaos' through Facebook Live and argued that leadership should be transferred through a regular process.
As the dispute escalates, supporters of both sides have also made personal comments. Some cadres have urged the general secretaries to 'leave the party and seek a consensus', targeting the two general secretaries. The establishment supporters have accused the general secretaries of 'pushing the party into crisis to earn their own political bread'.
On the other hand, supporters of the other side are arguing that it would be a 'direct violation of the constitution' to stop a special general convention when the demand for it has been registered with the signatures of 54 percent of the general convention delegates. According to them, it is an internal anti-democratic move for the leadership to reject it when the majority of the delegates have legally demanded a special general convention.
This 'digital war' on social media has increased confusion among Congress workers across the country. A new debate has begun in political circles as the issue of the general convention date and leadership transfer has not been limited to posters and hashtags but has turned into a psychology of factional conflict. Is this an exercise in keeping internal democracy alive, or a sign of deepening divisions within the party?
