Sudurpaschim Leaders Vie for Nepali Congress General Secretary and Joint General Secretary Posts

Dhangadhi: The election process to select a new Central Working Committee under the Nepali Congress's 15th General Convention has begun. According to the schedule released by the Central Election Committee, candidate nominations are set for Ashwin 20, while voting will take place on Ashwin 22.

In the past two General Conventions, Sudurpaschim secured the top leadership of the Nepali Congress, with Sher Bahadur Deuba elected president during both the 13th and 14th conventions. This time, however, leaders from Sudurpaschim are staking their claims for the positions of General Secretary and Joint General Secretary. Nain Singh Mahar has announced his candidacy for General Secretary, while Prakash Rasaili, Janak Raj Giri, Bharat Khadka, and Ishwari Neupane have expressed their intent to run for Joint General Secretary.

Nain Singh Mahar, an aspirant for the General Secretary post, has put forward an agenda to modernize the Nepali Congress and make it relevant to the times. Mahar, who previously served as president of the Nepal Students Union (NSU), says he has spent nearly two decades in student politics. During Deuba's tenure as president, Mahar served as a Central Committee member and headed the party's Education Department. He is also known as the founder of the 'School of Democracy' and was the founding president of the Dadeldhura chapter of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ). However, he was defeated in the last House of Representatives election in Dadeldhura.

Prakash Rasaili 'Snehi' is the incumbent Joint General Secretary of the Nepali Congress. He has announced that he will seek re-election to the post of Joint General Secretary under the Dalit inclusive quota during the 15th General Convention. He was elected as a Central Committee member under the Dalit inclusion quota during the 14th General Convention. Although he contested the recent House of Representatives election from Bajhang, he was defeated.

Bharat Khadka had expressed his desire to become a Joint General Secretary as early as the Special General Convention. He currently chairs the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives. Khadka, who was elected to the House of Representatives from Doti in the last election, has staked his claim for the post of Joint General Secretary this time.

Similarly, Janak Raj Giri, a Member of the House of Representatives from Bajura, has announced his candidacy for the post of Joint General Secretary. He said he is running with the aim of strengthening the representation of "backward regions" within the party's central leadership. He cited generational transition, organizational transformation, and the pride of the Sudurpaschim region as his motivations for seeking the position.

Ishwari Neupane has also announced her candidacy for Joint General Secretary. She is a former Chief Whip of the Congress parliamentary party and a former Chairperson of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee. Neupane has previously served multiple terms as a Central Committee member. Appealing to General Convention delegates for their votes, she pledged to play a key role in making the Nepali Congress a popular party, further strengthening the organization, and establishing it as the country's leading party.