Deuba faction presses ahead with parallel Congress convention

A parallel party convention is a separate internal election process run by a rival faction. It seeks to choose delegates and leaders while another faction is conducting its own convention. This matters because both processes may claim to represent the same party.

The Deuba faction began ward conventions on October 1. Its schedule moves through local, provincial assembly, federal constituency, district and provincial levels before a central convention in Kathmandu on December 7-9. The faction says it continues the process linked to the 14th general convention’s central working committee.

The rival process was led by Gagan Thapa and completed its 15th general convention before Deuba’s faction finished its own. Deuba’s camp therefore continues its parallel process to challenge that outcome and assert its own claim to legitimate party leadership. The article does not state how the dispute will be settled.

Deuba’s convention process has advanced substantially but remains incomplete. Constituency conventions are finished in 112 of Nepal’s 165 federal constituencies. The faction plans to continue conventions in the remaining constituencies while district conventions proceed. The schedule has already fallen behind.

Earlier stages show the scale of the work. Ward conventions are complete in 5,500 of 6,743 wards, leaving 1,243 unfinished. Local-level conventions have taken place in 497 of 753 municipalities and rural municipalities, leaving 256 outstanding. The faction planned to finish these stages by November 1.

Each federal constituency will elect 35 delegates. Across 165 constituencies, that produces 5,775 elected delegates. The total convention attendance will be higher because constituency, district, provincial assembly constituency and local-level office-holders are also entitled to attend automatically. Provincial conventions are scheduled for November 20, before the December central convention.

Sher Bahadur Deuba is the former president of the Nepali Congress. His faction represents the party’s traditional establishment wing and claims continuity with the central working committee elected at the 14th general convention. It is now conducting a parallel convention process.

Gagan Thapa is the president elected at a special general convention held in Kathmandu in January. That convention was backed by a majority of registered convention delegates. Thapa and General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma had led the reformist, youth-led camp against Deuba’s establishment faction.

The two camps now support competing claims about the party’s leadership. Thapa’s Congress has already completed its 15th general convention. Deuba’s faction is continuing its own process, from ward gatherings through a proposed central convention, to challenge that result and assert its competing claim. The article presents the dispute as an internal struggle over legitimacy and continuity.

The Deuba faction’s objection rests on competing claims of continuity and legitimacy. A special general convention in Kathmandu in January elected Gagan Thapa president and installed a new leadership team. That meeting was backed by a majority of registered convention delegates, according to the article.

Despite that support, Deuba’s camp presents itself as the successor to the central working committee elected at the Nepali Congress’s 14th general convention. It therefore challenges the authority of the leadership produced by the special convention. The faction is not accepting that event as the definitive replacement for the earlier structure.

This dispute explains why Deuba’s side is holding another convention rather than simply joining Thapa’s completed process. Its parallel elections are intended to build a separate delegate and leadership mandate. The article does not identify an agreed party mechanism for deciding which claim will prevail.

The proposed general convention uses a fixed 35-delegate allocation for every federal constituency. Fourteen seats are open-category places, including four for women. Ten seats represent inclusive groups. This structure combines constituency elections with reserved representation.

Two young delegates must be aged 18-28, including one woman, and two more must be under 40, again including one woman. The remaining seven seats include one person with disability; two representatives of democratic veterans, conflict victims and martyrs’ families; two subject experts and workers; and two representatives from other groups.

With 165 federal constituencies, the elected total reaches 5,775 delegates. The final number will be higher because several office-holders can attend automatically. These include federal constituency presidents, relevant district presidents, provincial assembly constituency presidents and local-level presidents. The article does not provide further identities for the inclusive groups.

When rival convention processes each claim legitimacy, a party can face a basic authority dispute. Members, office-holders and outside observers may not know which leadership, rules or delegate list should be treated as valid. The conflict can therefore shift from an election contest into an institutional split.

This article shows the mechanism clearly. Thapa’s camp completed its 15th general convention after January’s special convention elected him president. Deuba’s faction rejects that leadership and is electing its own delegates across 165 federal constituencies. Each process is building a separate basis for authority.

The likely consequence is continued uncertainty unless the factions agree on a settlement or one process gains acceptance. That could affect coordination inside the party and make future decisions contested. However, the article does not report a final ruling, formal split or specific institutional consequence. It only establishes that Deuba’s parallel process is intended to assert a competing leadership claim.

In a representative party, members do not usually choose every national leader directly. They first elect local representatives or delegates. Those delegates move through higher party levels and eventually help select the central leadership. Conventions make this chain of authority visible and organized.

The Deuba process illustrates the mechanism. It begins with ward conventions, then local, provincial assembly constituency, federal constituency, district and provincial conventions. Each federal constituency will elect 35 delegates. Some office-holders also attend automatically, adding another defined group of representatives.

At the proposed central convention, these delegates would provide the voting body for leadership decisions. Reserved places aim to include women, young people, inclusive groups, people with disabilities and other categories. The legitimacy of the result depends on accepted rules, completed elections and recognition of the convention’s authority. In this case, rival processes show how disputes over those foundations can produce competing leadership claims.