The Deuba faction of the Nepali Congress on Saturday organised its third convention in Budhanilkantha Municipality of Kathmandu, pressing ahead with its parallel round of organisational activity ahead of the party's 15th general convention. The gathering, framed by the faction as part of its convention preparations, was attended by senior leaders including Shashank Koirala, Prakash Man Singh and Mohan Bahadur Basnet, giving the event the visible backing of some of the camp's most experienced figures as its series of conventions gathers pace.

Parallel track gains momentum

The Budhanilkantha convention is the third such event organised by the faction, which has been running parallel activities within the party rather than folding into a single, unified process. According to RatoPati, the convention was held in Budhanilkantha Municipality of Kathmandu on Saturday as part of the faction's preparations for the Nepali Congress's 15th general convention.

Parallel activities, in this context, refer to the faction's practice of convening its own organisational programmes under its own arrangements. The Budhanilkantha gathering fits squarely within that approach: it was organised by the faction itself, presented as part of the build-up to the 15th general convention, and staged in the capital, where the party's internal contest is watched most closely.

The choice of venue and timing underlined the camp's intent. By convening a municipal-level convention in Kathmandu, the faction has signalled that its parallel exercise is not a one-off gesture but an organised sequence, now three events deep, through which it intends to demonstrate its organisational reach. For a party whose internal rift has played out in public view, each such gathering serves both as a preparatory exercise and as a statement of resolve.

Key facts from the Budhanilkantha gathering:

  • The convention was held on Saturday in Budhanilkantha Municipality, Kathmandu.
  • It was the third convention organised by the Deuba faction.
  • Senior leaders Shashank Koirala, Prakash Man Singh and Mohan Bahadur Basnet took part.
  • The event formed part of the faction's preparations for the party's 15th general convention.

Senior leadership on full display

The participation of Koirala, Singh and Basnet lent the convention its political weight. All three are senior leaders of the Nepali Congress, and their appearance at a faction-organised event showed that the parallel drive carries the backing of established names rather than resting on second-tier figures. Khabarhub also reported that the three leaders took part in the Saturday convention.

For the organisers, the value of such attendance goes beyond symbolism. Conventions draw their energy from the leaders who anchor them, and the sight of three senior figures sharing a platform in Budhanilkantha sends a message to cadres that the faction's programme enjoys the endorsement of the party's veteran leadership. It also presents the parallel track as a collective undertaking, countering any suggestion that it is the pursuit of a narrow group within the camp.

The presence of the three leaders in Budhanilkantha also gave the faction's third convention a stature that smaller gatherings would have struggled to match. In a period when every factional event is read for clues about internal strength, the lineup itself became part of the story.

The road to the 15th general convention

Everything about the Budhanilkantha event points toward the party's 15th general convention, the gathering at which the Nepali Congress is expected to settle its leadership and organisational direction. Conventions at lower levels are the building blocks of that process, and by holding its own, the Deuba camp is working to ensure its presence is firmly felt in the run-up to the general convention.

The faction's convention drive also highlights the unusual moment the party finds itself in. Ordinary municipal conventions are routine exercises in organisational renewal; held in parallel by a faction that has chosen to run its own activities, they become markers of internal division, watched closely for what they reveal about the balance of strength inside the party. The third convention in Budhanilkantha, attended by Koirala, Singh and Basnet, adds one more event to a series the faction is assembling step by step.

For now, the message from Budhanilkantha is one of continuity. The parallel track remains active, its senior leadership remains engaged, and its preparations for the 15th general convention remain on course. The Saturday convention is the clearest indication yet that the camp plans to see its convention drive through.

With three conventions now behind it, the Deuba faction's parallel process is gathering momentum at a time when the party's attention is fixed on the 15th general convention. Whether the two tracks eventually converge or continue to run side by side, the Budhanilkantha gathering has made clear that the faction intends to enter that contest with its organisational groundwork already laid.