Nation»
Deuba panel takes poll shape
- Vows to consolidate party and materialise the sentiment for ‘change’
KATHMANDU, SEP 05 -
Senior Nepali Congress (NC) leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, a three-time prime minister, has announced his candidacy for the post of party president in the run up to the party’s 12th General Convention scheduled to take place on Sept 17-21. Along with Deuba, his confidents, Bimalendra Nidhi and Chitralekha Yadav, also announced their candidacies for the posts of general secretary and treasurer respectively.
With Sunday’s announcements, Deuba’s panel seemed to have taken an initial shape and readied itself to compete with the immediate contestants from the establishment faction led by Acting President Sushil Koirala and the third front led by Bhim Bahadur Tamang and Narahari Acharya. For with the announcement, Deuba has, at least, resolved a difficult task of picking one of his confidents for the post of general secretary. As for Koirala, it is getting all the more difficult to pick one from the multiple aspirants, including Prakash Man Singh, Arjun Narsingh KC, Ram Saran Mahat and Krishna Prasad Sitaula. A confident Deuba said unity is the central theme with which he is fighting the election this time. “Re-establishing the internal unity of the NC and bringing it forth once again as the biggest party of the nation by adopting socialist principle of the leaders like BP Koirala and Ganesh Man Singh are our major agendas,” said Deuba at the press meet at the party headquarters, Sanepa.
The Deuba panel claims, its focus will also be on playing a leading role in taking the peace process to a logical end.
Though Deuba’s opponents say the fact that he once led a splinter faction (NC-D) in 2002-2007 would make him less popular among a section in the party, Deuba’s supporters say he would impress a wide range of leaders because of his “accommodative” nature and his “strong advocacy for change”.
“He has strong appeal not only for youth but also for the newly elected Janjati-Aadivasi constituency, which feels more comfortable with Deuba than with any other factions,” said a Deuba supporter. “Another positive nature of Deuba is that, in comparison to others, he believes in negotiation than exclusion [of the Maoists]; he is flexible, and therefore, can better handle the peace process.”
During Sunday’s press meet, Nidhi said if elected his panel would materialise the sentiment for “change” and revive the lost image of the NC as a socialist party envisaged by leaders like late BP Koirala.
Deuba said the names of the candidates for the central working committee members would be announced soon. Khum Bahadur Khadka, who aspired for the post of general secretary earlier, is said to have agreed not do so after Deuba assured him to nominate in the post of general secretary once the panel gets elected. An elected NC president can nominate, among others, a general secretary.
Posted on: 2010-09-06 07:39
Headlines
Advertisements
