Kathmandu, Oct 6: The Nepali Congress (NC) has pledged to contest future elections independently, ruling out pre-election alliances and seat-sharing deals with other parties.
Presenting his political report at the closed session of the party’s 15th General Convention in Kathmandu on Monday, NC President Gagan Kumar Thapa said the party would contest elections with its own symbol, programmes and candidates.
Thapa said past electoral alliances had weakened the NC’s identity, discouraged party cadres and undermined democratic competition.
His report proposes introducing primary elections to select candidates through direct voting by party members. Merit, integrity, contribution and performance would guide candidate selection instead of factional influence and personal connections.
The report also calls for transforming the NC from a power-centred organisation into a more accountable political party. It identifies factionalism, opaque power-sharing and excessive focus on state power as factors that have widened the gap between the party and citizens.
The NC also proposes a constitutional amendment limiting a prime minister to two terms, arguing that leadership turnover would create opportunities for a new generation.
Positioning itself as a strong opposition force, the party has pledged to closely monitor government decisions, corruption, abuse of authority and violations of citizens’ rights. It plans to maintain “shadow governments” at the federal and provincial levels to scrutinise ministries and offer alternative policies.
The party also proposes a public online dashboard containing information on government projects, budgets, spending and project chiefs. A high-level task force of independent young experts would study the concerns and expectations of Gen Z.
General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma, in a separate political report, called for changes in political culture, party practices and the electoral system. He said the NC must prove itself politically better, not simply older than its competitors.
The party has also pledged not to shield leaders or members accused of breaking the law. It stressed judicial independence, parliamentary freedom, press freedom and institutional integrity.
Its 15 reform commitments include rejecting personality-centred politics, permanent factions, favouritism in candidate selection, misuse of public office and political interference in legal cases.
The NC also pledged to avoid airing internal disputes on social media, dismissing young people’s ideas because of their age, repeatedly promoting the same leaders and placing short-term political interests above institutions, ideology and democratic values.
7,114 voters finalised
Meanwhile, A total of 7,114 delegates have been finalised as eligible voters for the Nepali Congress’ 15th General Convention.
The party’s Central Election Committee released the final voter list and election schedule through a press statement on Monday.
According to the committee, the final voter list was prepared after completing the process of receiving and reviewing claims and objections to the preliminary list.
The convention will elect the party’s new central leadership, including the president, vice presidents, general secretaries, joint general secretaries and Central Working Committee members.
The Election Committee has also set registration fees for candidates seeking various Central Working Committee positions. The fee has been fixed at Rs 40,000 for president, Rs 30,000 for vice president and general secretary, Rs 20,000 for joint general secretary and Rs 11,000 for Central Working Committee member.
Candidate nominations today
Similarly, the Central Election Committee published the voter list on Monday night and released the final schedule for candidate nominations.
According to the schedule, candidates can file their nomination papers from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm today.
Other procedures leading up to the nomination process will also be completed today. Claims and objections regarding the voter list and their settlement are scheduled from 9:30 am to 10:30 am.
The final voter list will be published at 11:30 am, while distribution of nomination forms began at 10:00 am.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment