KATHMANDU, Dec 9: The establishment faction of the ruling Nepali Congress(NC) has backtracked on its proposal to add three more Joint General Secretaries and 58 Central Working Committee (CWC) members in the party's office bearers body after the rival faction led by Ram Chandra Paudel threatened to boycott the meeting.
A senior leader close to the party President Sher Bahadur Deuba said the proposal won't be taken to the CWC meeting as there was no consensus within the party. Leaders close to the rival faction had earlier announced to boycott the meeting if such a proposal was introduced in the meeting.
NC President Deuba is under pressure to give space to leaders close to him in the office bearers' body. As a number of influential leaders are vying for the post of Joint General Secretaries and CWC members, Deuba had planned to introduce a proposal to add three more Joint General Secretaries and 58 CWC members.
NC dissidents to 'fight back' against Deuba's unilateral moves
The amendment of the party’s statute, however, is possible only if the rival faction supports the amendment bid.
Currently, the NC has 167-member CWC. President Deuba had planned to increase the number of Joint General Secretaries to 11 by adding three additional posts of Joint General Secretaries. He had planned to make a 225-member CWC body, up from the existing 167-member body.
Leaders said the last CWC meeting called for holding discussion about the party's 14th General Convention that is scheduled to begin from Friday is officially yet to begin at the party's headquarters in Sanepa. Rival faction leader Ram Chandra Paudel and other CWC members close to him have not reached the party headquarters.
Since the General Convention is set to elect new office bearers and central members, the ongoing CWC meeting is likely to be the last meeting of the current CWC of the NC. The newly-elected CWC body will hold its next meeting.
