Voting for the central member in the first phase of the ongoing general convention of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Chitwan has begun at 9 pm on Wednesday. There are 379 candidates for the 99 central members. Rabi Lamichhane was elected unopposed as the president on Tuesday. Prime Minister Balendra Shah is certain to be the senior leader.

Among the three vice-presidents, leader Swarnim Wagle, who is also the Finance Minister, has filed his candidacy for the open vice-president. Leaders Sobita Gautam, Lima Adhikari and Dr. Toshima Karki are in the news for the women's vice-president. All three leaders are candidates for the central member. Karki, however, is rumored to be running for the general secretary position if not for the women's vice-president. While Pratibha Rawal is likely to file her candidacy for the women's vice-president position, she has not filed her candidacy for the central member position. Rawal is likely to be nominated as a joint general secretary or other office bearer.

Outgoing Vice President Wagle has filed his candidacy for the central member from the Gandaki Province open category, while Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has filed his candidacy for the open category. Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha has filed his candidacy for the Bagmati Province open category, while Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam has filed his candidacy for the open category of women.

Minister for Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security Sita Badi has filed his candidacy from Karnali, while Minister for Health and Food Hygiene Nisha Mehta has filed her candidacy from Koshi. Minister for Education and Sports Sasmit Pokharel has filed his candidacy for the open category of central member, while Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Environment Geeta Chaudhary has filed her candidacy for the Sudurpaschim open category of central member. Minister for Youth, Labor and Employment Ramji Yadav has filed his candidacy from the open Madhesi group. 

The RSVP statute gives the president the right to nominate 51 members to the central committee. The leaders who are in line to become central members and office bearers through the same process have not filed their candidacies. The number of central members and office bearers nominated by the president has been increased to accommodate the leaders. 

Out of the 26 central members and office bearers who joined the party with the 7-point agreement reached between Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) president Rabi Lamichhane and the then mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balendra Shah, on December 13, 16 have not filed their candidacies for central membership. Among them, some, including those who were elected as MPs, have filed their candidacies for the election contest, while the rest have not filed their candidacies. Those who have not filed their candidacies include Sunil Lamsal, Bhupdev Shah, Laxman Tharu, Ramesh Poudel, Santosh Giri, Sarita Gyawali, James Karki, Laxmi Bardeva, Anantaraj Ghimire, Ramkumar Dhungana, Pradeep Gyawali, Madhusudhan Dhakal, Ojaswi Thapa, Aditya Acharya, Pradeep Pandey, Khemraj Saud, among others. 

Home Minister Sudhan Gurung, who contested the election from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and became Home Minister, has not filed his candidacy. A leader from the Balendra faction says, "This is also a convention of unity, we have never made a separate claim to be a general convention representative. In such a case, this time it has been decided to go through the nominee." 

There is talk of Lamsal being nominated as the vice president and Shah as the general secretary from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The central members and office bearers nominated by the president will include the Shah faction, the Bibeksheel Sajha faction, and the adjusted faction from the Tharuhat movement. 

Meanwhile, three members of the Prime Minister's Secretariat have become central member candidates for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Prime Minister's Chief Political Advisor Asim Shah, Administration and Good Governance Advisor Sudip Dhakal, and Personal Undersecretary Prakriti Dhakal have become central member candidates for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Chief Political Advisor Shah has registered his candidacy for the open Muslim-inclusive 'cluster' of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). 

Prime Minister's Policy, Administration and Good Governance Advisor Sudip Dhakal has also registered his candidacy for the position of central member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Prakriti Dhakal, who works as a personal undersecretary in the Prime Minister's Secretariat, has also registered her candidacy for the position of central member of the RSS. 

It is seen that there will be competition between leaders who have been in the RSS since its establishment for the posts to be elected from women's vice president to joint general secretary. The number of RSS office bearers has been increased to 19. The office bearers include president 1, senior leader 1, vice president 3 (1 woman and 1 nominated), general secretary 2 (1 nominated), joint general secretaries 5 (1 woman, 2 nominated), spokesperson 1, joint spokesperson 3 (1 woman), treasurer 1, joint treasurer 2 (1 woman).

See the list of candidates