Former president Sher Bahadur Deuba and leader Shekhar Koirala are preparing to start a dialogue for party unity if the court does not decide on the dispute regarding the legitimacy of the Congress Central Working Committee by Sunday. The Supreme Court has set a date for Sunday in the writ petition regarding the legitimacy of the working committee.

Joint General Secretary Badri Pandey, who is a supporter of Koirala, elected from the 14th General Convention, said that they will move forward considering the upcoming Sunday as the final 'bottom line'. 'All of our attention is on Chaitra 22. We agree that the court should recognize the Central Working Committee that came from the special General Convention or the Central Working Committee elected from the 14th General Convention on that day and go to the regular General Convention,' he said.

Pandey says that if the resolution process in the court is prolonged, he will not wait and will start a political dialogue for unity. 'We are clear that the party should be unified,' he said.

The controversy became complicated after leader Purna Bahadur Khadka issued a statement in his capacity as acting president regarding the arrest of UML Chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on Saturday. Party spokesperson Devraj Chalise also made the party's position public through a statement on the same issue. Khadka had said that political and legal resistance would be taken against the arrest of Oli-Lekhak as political revenge. Chalise had demanded in the statement that the culprits of the arson and destruction on Bhadra 24 should not be focused only on the incident of Bhadra 23 but should also be investigated and action taken against them.

Leaders supporting President Gagan Thapa have been warning that leader Khadka is carrying out parallel activities in his capacity as 'acting president' and may even take disciplinary action. The Congress has called a meeting of the Central Disciplinary Committee, coordinated by Taraman Gurung, for Wednesday.

Khadka had called a meeting of the Central Working Committee elected from the 14th General Convention for Tuesday at the Smart Hotel in Dhumbarahi. After pressure from the Koirala faction not to hold the meeting in the name of the Central Working Committee with the party's flag and banner, Khadka did not formalize the meeting. Pandey said that it was not a meeting that would be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, but only an informal gathering. 'All the meetings that have taken place since yesterday are informal.' The supporters of the special general convention reviewed the election. Meanwhile, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Shekhar Koirala, Bimalendra Nidhi, and others who contested the election should also review the election. Since there is no place for the Central Working Committee, we had to gather and discuss on another informal platform,' Pandey said. 'Such discussions will strengthen the party.' There is also a belief that this will end the lack of dialogue.'

Some leaders from the Deuba faction are still not in favor of accepting the existence of the special general convention. Leader Jitjung Basnet says that the general convention process cannot proceed according to the schedule brought by the leadership from the special general convention until the Supreme Court gives a decision. 'Parallel activities will continue until the court gives a decision,' he said.

The Congress had entered the elections under the leadership of Thapa, who became the president from the special general convention held on 27-30 Pus. The Election Commission recognized the Thapa-led central working committee on 2 Magh.

Challenging that, Deuba and Khadka had filed a writ in the Supreme Court. Deuba, who went to Singapore on 13 Falgun after filing the writ, has not returned.

Despite the case, Deuba wanted to contest the elections with a ticket signed by Thapa. But after seeing the situation of not getting a ticket, he announced that he would not contest the election on 5th Magh. Khadka, on the other hand, had informed that he would not take the ticket even on moral grounds as he was involved in a case.

Shashank Koirala, Prakash Man Singh, Ramesh Lekhak, Shyam Ghimire, Ramhari Khatiwada, who were opposed to the special general convention, wanted to contest the election. But they did not get the ticket. Leaders who were opposed to the special general convention, Shekhar Koirala, Bimalendra Nidhi, Prakash Sharan Mahat, Mahendra Yadav, Kishore Rathore, Mahalaxmi Upadhyay 'Dina', Minendra Rijal and others, had taken the ticket with Thapa's signature and entered the election.

Purna Bahadur Khadka has filed a case in the court, he has kept the acting post for the legal battle, but we are of the opinion that this situation should not be allowed to continue since 22 Chaitra: Badri Pandey, Congress leader Pandey has argued that Khadka has maintained the status of acting president as the legal battle is ongoing in the court. 'I and none of the office bearers on our side have said that I am a joint general secretary or vice president. Purna Bahadur Dai is a party to the case. He has filed the case himself. The day he stops saying that he is an acting president, the case will be dismissed,' he said, 'He has kept the acting post for the legal battle. But, we are of the opinion that this situation should not be allowed to continue since 22 Chaitra.'

After the Thapa-led working committee received recognition from the Election Commission, leaders and cadres who were in Deuba's favor have started leaving the old group. Bagmati Province Working Committee President and Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniya, Koshi Province Working Committee President Uddhav Thapa, and Madhesh Province Party President and Chief Minister Krishna Yadav have left the Deuba group. The then Deuba-led Central Working Committee had 164 members, but about 60 people were present at the meeting called by Khadka on Tuesday. Khadka had started the gathering by placing Shekhar Koirala and Shashank Koirala on each side. Shashank had sat for a while and left.

Most of the leaders who spoke at the gathering stood in favor of party unity. They had expressed the view that both sides should be flexible and stand in favor of unity when the country itself is in trouble. 'Both sides should be flexible for party unity.' The leaders who took the leadership from the special should show more flexibility, even if he did not show it, why should the senior leaders not take the initiative themselves,' said leader Ramhari Khatiwada. Most of the leaders were of the opinion that the dialogue should be taken forward and the 15th General Convention should be held.