Kathmandu, Nepal December 7, 2021: Since the preliminary election results in provinces to local levels suggest that incumbent party president of the Nepali Congress (NC) Sher Bahadur Deuba would secure his position as the party president at again, non-establishment faction led by senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel has intensified its efforts to choose common candidate in the scheduled 14 general convention.
The Poudel-led faction has scheduled to hold a meeting today (Tuesday) with the aim to reach a consensus on a common candidate for the party president. All the central committee members loyal to the faction have been invited to the meeting. The meeting is scheduled to convene at former General Secretary Prakash Man Singh’s house at Chaksibari of Kathmandu at 1 pm today.
A meeting held between General Secretary Shashanka Koirala, former General Secretary Singh, central committee member Shekhar Koirala and Poudel on Monday evening at latter’s residence at Boharatar of Kathmandu had agreed to field a common candidate in the central general convention with the conclusion that they would lose the election if common candidate was not fielded to challenge Deuba.
However, it seems difficulties to reach on conclusion choose the common candidate from the non-establishment faction, thanks to the respective claims from all the leaders. It is said that all the central committee members loyal to the faction were invited at today’s meeting after four leaders did not budge from their stand to be a candidate in the general convention that is scheduled for coming December 10-12 in Kathmandu. Aside from Poudel, Shashanka, Prakash Man and Shekhar have not only announced their candidacy for the post of party president but already launched their election campaign.
The establishment faction led by Deuba has a claim that it is in a comfortable position to win the election as party president. It is said that tie-up with a faction led by Krishna Prasad Situala has made comfortable to Deuba.
However, the non-establishment faction has a conviction that their common candidate would win the election for the post of party president only if Deuba was not supported by his long time loyal Bimalendra Nidhi. However, it is claimed that Nidhi would file his candidacy only if Deuba supported him as the candidate of the party president from the establishment faction.
