The opposition Nepali Congress has decided to hold a meeting of its Mahasamiti, the apex policy-making body, in four months to discuss the party’s electoral defeat.The jamboree would also take up other political, organisational and leadership disputes which figured in the Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting that concluded on Sunday. The date will be finalised later, according to party leaders.

As decided by the CWC, the party will hold a meeting of its district presidents in mid-July. The central body also dissolved two committees that courted controversy while a new disciplinary committee would be formed soon.

The meeting took responsibility for the party’s defeat in the local, federal and provincial elections held last year as no major leader was ready to take the blame solely.

The party also concluded that formation of the left alliance of the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre) was to blame for its electoral drubbing. According to party Spokesman Bishwa Prakash Sharma, another reason behind the poll defeat was the NC’s weak position and silence when India imposed an undeclared border blockade on Nepal.

The alliance got votes from the people affected by the blockade, read the decision of the CWC. Other reasons were the delay in choosing candidates, infighting among the Congress members, and the failure to effectively use the media of communication for publicising the good initiatives taken by various NC-led governments in the past.

The CWC also blamed the unsuccessful efforts to form alliance with “democratic” forces, which ate up time crucial for reaching out to voters, the party said in a statement.

The party decided to play a constructive role as the opposition in federal and provincial assemblies, to train cadres at the grassroots and to revitalise its organisation.

At the meeting that stretched over weeks, the faction led by Ram Chandra Poudel, along with some youth leaders, pressed party President Sher Bahadur Deuba to take decisive moves to revive the Congress in the wake of a red wave across the country.

Organising a press conference at the party headquarters on Sunday, the party announced that the Mahasamiti would meet in Bhadra (August-September) to discuss and take appropriate decisions on the issues deliberated at the CWC.

Deuba had informed the meeting that the Parliamentary Committee and the Central Executive Committee had been dissolved as demanded by the Poudel faction.

The CWC will meet on Monday to appoint nominees to the key posts of vice-president, general secretary and deputy general secretary.

Poudel opposes decisions

Senior Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel has opposed the decisions of the Central Working Committee. Holding a separate press conference at the party headquarters after the major event on Sunday, Poudel said party President Sher Bahadur Deuba, not the entire CWC, should take responsibility for the NC’s defeat in the federal and provincial elections.

The paper drafted by General Secretary Shashank Koirala held the CWC responsible for the poll debacle. Deuba had read out the list of decisions of the meeting while barring leaders Poudel, Bijay Kumar Gachhadar and Krishna Prasad Sitaula from addressing the media.

Poudel has also opposed the meeting called by Deuba on Monday to appoint party office bearers.