Deuba offers middle-ground proposal amid NC leadership dispute

KATHMANDU: Amid internal disputes and debates over leadership change in the Nepali Congress, party president Sher Bahadur Deuba has proposed a middle-ground solution.

On Wednesday morning, during a discussion at his residence in Maharajgunj with General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwprakash Sharma, Deuba expressed his willingness to delegate the authority to sign candidate tickets to other leaders in the upcoming elections, if legally permissible.

The move comes as questions continue to be raised within the party—particularly by the General Secretaries’ faction—regarding the president’s exclusive right to decide candidate selections.

Deuba said, “Until now, I have personally signed tickets in my capacity as president. However, if legally allowed, I am open to granting the right to sign for direct elections of the House of Representatives to another leader. Let us seek legal advice on this matter.”

Deuba also urged the General Secretaries to wait until the upcoming 15th General Convention for any leadership change.

He emphasized that the regular convention, scheduled from May 11 to 14, will determine new leadership, and premature discussions on the issue should be avoided. “I have publicly announced that I will not be a candidate in the next convention, and the party constitution does not allow it either,” he told the leaders. “According to the decision of the Central Working Committee, the convention will take place in April. Please remain patient until then.”

Meanwhile, Thapa and Sharma had launched a special convention at Bhrikutimandap starting Sunday, with an agenda focused on “policy and leadership change.”

However, this special convention has not been recognized by the establishment faction or Dr. Shekhar Koirala’s group.

With dialogue between the committees formed by both sides ending without results, top-level discussions were held to resolve the dispute.