Kathmandu, Nepal: Though the General Convention of the party is yet to come, election fever seems to have gripped the Nepali Congress (NC) thanks to the high number of aspirants for the party leadership, particularly for the post of party president.
As some senior leaders aspiring for the party president have lately begun campaigning on their own way, it is likely that the long been prevailed factions of the party would not able to present their candidates in the upcoming general convention. About half dozen leaders have already begun their campaigning to vie in the post of the president.
The rival faction- one led by party’s senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel and another led by Krishna Prasad Sitaula were presenting defensively against the party president Sher Bahadur Deuba after party faced stinging loss in the recently held local, parliamentary and provincial assembly polls.
President Deuba has not publicly staked his claim for the party's top leadership yet. But Vice President Bimalendra Nidhi, who is considered as of a confident to the president Deuba, has begun to project himself as the presidential candidate from the establishment faction if Deuba choose to retire from active party politics.
However, multiple sources in the party have a claim that president Deuba will not choose to retire from the active politics but planning to contest for party president for yet another term.
The recent mending relationship among the party president Deuba and senior leader Poudel has encouraged the latter to be a common consensual candidate in the upcoming general convention. Recently emerged third faction led by Sitaula has yet to make clear about its position in the upcoming general convention.
However, situations are indicating that Poudel would face internal intricacy to be a consensual candidate even if the party president Deuba empathize him for the next term of the party president.
General Secretary Dr. Shashank Koirala, former General Secretary Prakash Man Singh and another influential leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala have also visibly been preparing the ground to claim the leadership of the party.
It is said that former General Secretary Singh has made the mindset to vie in the post of party president after General Secretary Koirala and Central Committee member Shekhar Koirala claimed to contest for party president. Earlier, all three leaders were considered as close to the Poudel led faction.
However, Koirala brothers including another CDC member Sujata Koirala have already made a decision not to compete themselves but present a consensual candidate from the Koirala family for the post of party president.
General Secretary Koirala had revealed before the media persons in Biratnagar on Sunday that he or his brother Shekhar will be contesting for the post of party president in the upcoming general convention.
As General Secretary Koirala revealed his plan to contest in the post of party president even claiming that there is nothing differences among the Koiralas, new form of sensation has emerged in the party, particularly in the Poudel led faction.
Poudel and Koirala had contested for the post of President and General Secretary respectively in the recent past general convention held about two and half years ago. Koirala was able to secure the position while Paudel was defeated in the presidential race with huge margin, though both were campaigning by making a single panel.
