Pokhara, Jan. 23: Deputy Prime Minister Ramchandra Poudel said the completion of the 10th General Convention of the Nepali Congress has opened the door for the restructuring of the government.
Talking to the press after the announcement of the results of the election for 50 per cent members of the party’s CWC, Poudel hinted that the government could be reshuffled in the near future.
The 10th General Convention of the ruling Nepali Congress concluded today with the result of the election for 18 seats of the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC).
At a hastily organised concluding ceremony this morning, Prime Minister and the newly elected Party President Girija Prasad Koirala, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and the president of the organising committee Sukra Raj Sharma spoke. Koirala said the General Convention has made the Nepali Congress united and the party will now go forward in a reinvegorated and a more organised way.
In the election, Deputy Prime Minister Ramchandra Poudel garnered the highest number of votes of 1015 from the 1468 electorates with Ms. Shailaja Acharya winning 898 votes for the second position.
Those elected to the CWC are: Prakash Man Singh, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Prakash Koirala, Mahesh Acharya, Sushil Koirala, Pradeep Giri, Narahari Acharya, Arjun Narsingh K.C., Baldev Sharma Majgainya, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Mahanta Thakur, Bal Bahadur Rai, Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, Govinda Raj Joshi, Bimalendra Nidhi, Chiranjibi Wagle.
Some of the Congress heavyweights who lost include Speaker of the House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat, Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola, former Foreign and Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, Minister for Health Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, Ramkrishna Tamrakar and Mrs Lila Koirala.
The announcement of the election results was made by coordinator of the election committee Mukunda Acharya. But it took 24 hours for the election results to come out even though the counting was done throughout the night.
According to the Election Committee, earlier the counting was done at only one place. But today morning after Party President Koirala instructed to count the votes in a quick manner it was done at five different places on a region-wise basis. Otherwise, representatives of different candidates said it would have taken at least another 24 hours to finish the counting.
The results went almost ready at four o’clock today but, Minister Dr. Ram Baran Yadav made a claim that his votes were miscalculated and demanded a recount, which delayed the announcement by more than one hour. Later, his votes were recalculated but he still could not make it to the top 18.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Poudel lauded the voters and the party workers of showing a deep commitment to the party’s ideals and towards democratic norms while casting heir ballots.
But he said if there are any imbalances in regional, geographical and ethnic representations which would be addressed after the party president nominates the remaining 18 members to the CWC.
Shailaja Acharya, who was the fiercest critic of the election, said she finds no significant change in the CWC after the election. “Except for a few, majority of the persons who were in the previous CWC have been elected,” she said.
But she said the election has reminded the Congress party again of late BP Koirala and Ganesh Man Singh by electing their sons to the party’s CWC. She also said the election has given senior Congressmen like herself and Ramchandra Poudel national recognition and added that the regional imbalance is not as stark as she had feared earlier.
“Whatever imbalance is there, the party president should make it up when he nominates the other half of the CWC.
But she still maintained that the CWC might have become stronger, this has weakened the party president.
However, Ramchandra Poudel said the election of the 50 per cent members of the CWC is a qualitative change within the party and this would make the CWC more responsible to the party’s workers, party and the country.
Poudel said the election has left many important and senior Congressmen behind, but the nomination would fulfill their requirement to the party’s highest decision-making body.
He said although it is the party president’s discretion, Sher Bahadur Deuba the losing candidate for the party presidency and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, who did not fight the election, would be nominated to the CWC.
He even hinted that the losing candidates could also be nominated to the party’s official position, which include the deputy president and the general secretary of the party. “There is no restriction to that.”
They all made it to NC CWC
Top row:
Middle row:
Last row:
THE LOSERS AT NC CWC ELECTIONS
Amar Raj Kaini (273); Ambika Basnet (110); Arjun Jung Bahadur Singh (328); Aditya Raj Gyanwali (43); Rishikesh Gautam (203); Krishna Kishor Sharma Ghimire (189); Krishna Lal Sapkota (123); Gopal Man Shrestha (351); Chakra Prasad Bastola (255); Chandra Bhandari (200); Jip Tsering Lama (217); Dhundi Raj Shastri (195); Tara Nath Ranabhat (503); Damodar Gautam (40); Deepak Prakash Baskota (64); Durga Keshar Kharel (32); N.P. Saud (410), Padma Narayan Chaudhari (429), Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat (307); Pushkar Nath Ojha (419); Purna Bahadur Khadka (443); Farmullah Mansoor (487); Bakhat Bahadur Shahi (18); Bal Bahadur K.C. (507); Bhagwat Gyanwali (49); Bhim Bahadur Tamang (500), Bhu Bhawani Bikram Nembang (359); Man Mohan Bhattarai (177); Maheshwor Prasad Singh (114); Ms. Meena Pandey (96); Ms. Maiya Devi Shrestha (413); Mohan Bahadur Basnet (159); Rajendra Kharel (142); Ram Krishna Tamrakar (235); Ram Dayal Yadav (64); Dr Ram Baran Yadav (512); Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat (523); Dr. Rudra Pratap Shah (30); Laxmi Narayan Neupane (92); Ms. Lila Koirala (380); Binay Dhoj Chand (430); Bipin Koirala (109); Bishnu Prasad Sharma (07); Shiv Bahadur Khadka (42); Sukra Raj Sharma (252); Surka Raj Sanyok Limbu (189); Siddha Raj Ojha (96) and Surya Bhakta Adhikari (432).