The National Independent Party has scheduled its first general convention in Chitwan from July 21 to 23. Provisional committees have been formed at ward and municipal levels to facilitate the convention, which will be conducted in two phases. The convention will elect committees across six levels: central, provincial, district, electoral constituency, municipality, and ward.
Kathmandu, May 16 — The ruling National Independent Party (Raswapa) has set the date for its inaugural general convention to coincide with the party’s four-year anniversary. Founded on July 21, 2022, Raswapa plans to hold the convention from July 21 to 23, 2023. Previous attempts to organize the convention were postponed multiple times. The most recent postponement took place last February due to elections.
A recent extended meeting in Sauraha, Chitwan, decided that the convention would be held within six months following the elections. On May 14, the party’s central committee finalized the date and venue. Raswapa officially made Chitwan their convention site. Starting this Saturday, the party’s activities will focused on organizing the upcoming convention.
On May 16, gatherings are scheduled to form provisional committees in wards that have yet to establish them, followed by meetings on May 23 for municipalities without such committees. These sessions aim to establish provisional committees where they are missing. The schedule for holding ward and municipal conventions has been announced, dividing them into two phases based on whether the party structure is in place.
For wards where provisional committees are already established, ward conventions will be held on May 17. For municipalities with committees formed before April 8, the municipal conventions are scheduled for May 23. The second phase includes ward conventions by June 30 for committees formed by May 17 and municipal conventions on July 1 for those established by May 23. Raswapa has decided to fast-track the general convention process.
According to Secretary of Raswapa’s Election Committee, Bhuminanda Baral, the convention process will continue even if only 30 percent of wards in a municipality or 30 percent of municipalities in a district have conducted their respective conventions. “Once 30 percent of wards in a municipality have conducted their conventions, the municipal convention can proceed. Similarly, district conventions can be held without requiring 100 percent completion of all municipal conventions,” Baral explained. “Even if some municipal conventions are not held, district-level conventions may still take place. Holding the general convention is a mandatory requirement, which is why the fast-track plan has been adopted.”
