Nepali Congress 15th General Convention: Three Vice-Presidents Elected from Lumbini Province

Tejendra K.C.

Butwal. Three leaders who were candidates for party office bearers from Lumbini Province in the 15th General Convention of the Nepali Congress have been elected as Vice-Presidents. Four leaders from Lumbini Province had filed candidacies for Vice-President, one for General Secretary, and five for Joint General Secretary in the General Convention, totaling 10 leaders for office bearer positions. Among them, three have been elected as Vice-Presidents, while the candidate for General Secretary has been defeated. The counting of votes for Joint General Secretary is ongoing, with two candidates already defeated and one in third place. Results for the remaining two are yet to be announced. The elected Vice-Presidents from Lumbini Province are Pushpa Bhusal, Binod Kumar Chaudhary, and Dr. Chandra Bhandari. Bhusal was elected from the women's group, Chaudhary from the inclusive group, and Bhandari from the open group. Dang's Deepak Giri, who was a candidate from the open group, was defeated. The election of three Vice-Presidents from Lumbini Province is a significant achievement for the province. Quantitatively, Lumbini has received good representation in the Vice-President positions compared to other provinces. Arghakhanchi's Pushpa was unopposed in the women's group for Vice-President. Nawalparasi's industrialist and former MP Binod Kumar Chaudhary has been elected Vice-President from the inclusive group. He is said to be the first leader from Nawalparasi to become a central office bearer of the Congress. Gulmi's Dr. Chandra Bhandari has been elected Vice-President from the open group. Former minister Deepak Giri from Dang was defeated in the Vice-Presidential race. He was previously known as a leader close to Shekhar Koirala's group. The election of three Vice-Presidents from Lumbini Province is significant as it is claimed that all three are the first leaders from their respective districts to become central office bearers of the Congress. This has further strengthened Lumbini's presence in the province's party politics. Other Office Bearers: Lumbini's Position Weak While Lumbini Province achieved notable success in the Vice-Presidential positions in the 15th General Convention of the Nepali Congress, it has not achieved expected results in other office bearer positions. Amar Singh Pun, Lumbini Province President, who was a candidate for General Secretary, has been defeated, and among the five candidates for Joint General Secretary, two have already been defeated. Pun, who has been in favor of a special general convention from the beginning, supported party President Gagan Thapa. However, some Congress workers analyze that he was defeated because he was not effectively included in Thapa's internal team during the election. Pun, a permanent resident of Rolpa, had also contested the parliamentary elections from Banke recently. For the position of Joint General Secretary, five candidates from Lumbini Province were in the electoral field. Yogendra Chaudhary from Dang, Abhishek Pratap Shah and Athar Kamal Musalman from Kapilvastu, and Devendra Raj Kandel from Nawalparasi and Manojmani Acharya from Rolpa are candidates for Joint General Secretary. Kandel, who contested for the open category of Joint General Secretary, and Athar Kamal Musalman, a candidate for the Muslim category, have already been defeated. Abhishek Pratap Shah, a candidate for the Madhesi category, is in third place according to the latest vote count. Similarly, Yogendra Chaudhary, a candidate for the Tharu category, and Manojmani Acharya, for the Khassarya category, are also ahead. Based on the current vote count, there is hope that two candidates from Lumbini Province will be elected as Joint General Secretaries, but it is not possible to say until the final results are announced. Three Vice-Presidents Elected is a Matter of Pride, but the Core Principles of the Party Must Be Preserved Leaders and cadres from Lumbini Province have considered the election of three leaders from the province as central Vice-Presidents in the 15th General Convention of the Nepali Congress a matter of pride. However, they emphasize that the province's representation in office bearer positions should not be solely based on numbers, and the party should be moved forward according to the core principles of the special general convention, the spirit of change, and overall interests. Bishnu Bhusal, advisor to the Nepali Congress Lumbini Province and a leader from Arghakhanchi, stated that Pushpa Bhusal's election as Vice-President is a matter of pride for the district and the people of the province. Pushpa, who was once active in Sher Bahadur Deuba's group, joined Gagan Thapa's faction during the process of the special general convention. After Gagan Thapa was elected party president through the special general convention, she has now been elected women's Vice-President. Similarly, Prakash Pokharel, a young leader from Gulmi and a supporter of the special general convention from the beginning, said that Lumbini getting three Vice-Presidents is a matter of pride for the district and the province. However, he believes that obtaining a position should not be considered the sole achievement. He stressed that regardless of their past group affiliations, all leaders and cadres should now advance the party according to the core principles of the special general convention. He stated that leaders must uphold the dignity of their positions according to the changed political situation and the aspirations of the cadres. 'It is not just about an individual reaching a position; what matters is how it contributes to the overall benefit of the party,' Pokharel said. Nawalparasi-1 General Convention representative elected Binod Chaudhary, upon being elected Vice-President from the inclusive category, has given Nawalparasi representation in the central office bearers of the Congress for the first time. Chaudhary won the Vice-Presidential election by securing 1,745 votes. Similarly, Bhandari, who was repeatedly elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Gulmi Constituency No. 2, has also succeeded in becoming a central office bearer of the party from the district. Congress workers believe this has further strengthened the district's political representation. Congress Gulmi worker Gopal Gyawali suggested that while it is positive for the district to have central office bearers, they must also work according to the core principles and objectives of the party. According to him, having many leaders from the province and districts reach the central leadership is both an opportunity and a responsibility. He stated that the office bearers should rise above factional interests and prioritize party unity, organizational strengthening, and the sentiments of the cadres. While the election of three Vice-Presidents from Lumbini Province is viewed as a political achievement for the province, leaders and cadres have emphasized that they must now utilize their responsibilities to transform the party, expand the organization, and serve the overall interests of the Congress.