Nepal Congress (NC) constituency level conventions in 61 districts have concluded on Saturday.
The conventions elected constituent level committees of the party and representatives to the party General Convention and General Council.
In some of the districts including Solukhumbu, Bajura, Dolpa and Dadeldhura conventions have been postponed for August 12 as the districts are too remote for Constituent Assembly members to return to Kathmandu by August 2 for elections to the post of PM.
In other districts including Saptari, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Parsa and Bhaktapur, the constituency level conventions have been postponed as the village/town conventions have not been completed.
In districts which have only one constituency like Taplejung, the district conventions also took place along with the constituency level elections.
Most central level leaders of the party have gone to their respective districts to lobby for their faction in the conventions. The results of the constituency level conventions play an important role in the party’s future as the conventions elect general convention representatives who will in turn elect the central working committee.
According to the party statute, 12 general convention representatives and five general council members are elected from each constituency. Over 2000 general convention representatives have been elected from the conventions Saturday. Reports from various districts have shown second generation cadres have been elected from the conventions.
The importance of general convention representatives has increased in the upcoming general conventions as the party has adopted a policy to elect 75 percent of the central working committee members including most office-bearers from the general convention.
In the past only 18 CWC members used to elected by the general convention, while another 18 used to be nominated by the party President. The General Council meeting of the party last year decided to go for collective leadership.
The upcoming general conventions scheduled from August 26 to 30 in Kathmandu will elect a new leadership of the party. The general conventions will determine the leadership course after the demise of party leader Girija Prasad Koirala.
Koirala was the party president from 1997 till he passed away few months ago. The leadership is likely to pass on to one of the three leaders Sher Bahadur Deuba, Ram Chandra Poudel or Sushil Koirala. nepalnews.com
