NC Acting President submits signatures withdrawing spport from Special Convention
Khadka said that although the special convention reportedly represented 54 percent of delegates, 885 signatories had formally withdrawn from it.
KATHMANDU: Acting President of the Nepali Congress (NC), Purna Bahadur Khadka, has submitted to the party office signatures of 885 delegates who had initially agreed to participate in the party’s special convention but later withdrew their support.
Speaking after visiting the Election Commission (EC) on Friday to claim the party’s official status, Khadka said that although the special convention reportedly represented 54 percent of delegates, 885 signatories had formally withdrawn from it.
The proof of their withdrawal, he added, was submitted to the party’s central office addressed to the acting president and verified by the party’s General Secretary. Khadka confirmed that the party possesses both pre- and post-convention signatures.
He stated, “Questions have arisen about who are signatories or participants. Among the delegates, 885 have formally dissociated themselves and sent their withdrawal letters, addressed to the acting president, to the central office. We have signatures from both before and after the convention.”
The Gagan Thapa-led faction of the Nepali Congress has already selected a new central working committee through the special convention.
Meanwhile, senior NC leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala described those aligning with Thapa as having “simply deviated” from the party.
Speaking at the EC, Koirala stressed that the majority of central committee members remain with him and insisted that their visit to the EC was prompted by media pressure rather than necessity. He underlined that the EC will determine the party’s official status according to democratic procedures.
Koirala emphasized that even if 40 percent of delegates have the right to call a special convention, the agenda, schedule, and procedural rules must be set by the central committee. “No individual office-bearer has the authority to call a special convention. The party’s constitution clearly stipulates that institutional decisions are binding,” he said.
He added, “We may not even need to be here, but media pressure compelled us. For the party and the nation, this situation has arisen.
Decisions will be made according to democratic norms. The entire central committee is present here. Some may have deviated, but the institution remains intact. The EC must recognize the institution, not individuals.”
Koirala confirmed that the party has submitted to the EC evidence of the 885 delegates who withdrew from the special convention along with their signatures.
