Members of the Koirala family have led the 69-year-old party directly or indirectly for six decades so far. When the party was founded in 1947, Tanka Prasad Acharya was nominated party president. But Acting President BP Koirala got a chance to command the party as Acharya was in jail serving a life term.
In the past six decades, founder leader Subarna Shamsher had a chance to lead the party for one year and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, another founder leader, for four years. Bhattarai somehow exercised the party leadership for another 16 years as acting president when BP Koirala was in exile or in prison under the Panchayat regime.
Though the NC is yet to elect representatives from the local level to participate in the general convention, party leaders, cadres and well wishers have started weighing the strengths of those vying for the post of party president.
Incumbent President Sushil Koirala has so far not publicly announced his candidacy for the next term, but aides and leaders close to him have been claiming that he will contest one more time.
Party senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel have already started their election campaigns for the top post. Another NC leader, Sujata Koirala, has also announced her candidacy.
Some party insiders say the re-election of Sushil Koirala will not be easy this time as Paudel, who has been a key leader in the establishment faction for some years, is also vying, and some leaders from Koirala's own camp are not willing to see him repeat a term. Other influential leaders from the Koirala camp such as Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Dr Sekher Koirala, Arjun Narsing KC, Dhanraj Gurung and youth leaders Gagan Thapa and Pradip Paudel are calling for "dynamic leadership" for the party.
Shekher Koirala said that he has not decided whom to support as Sushil Koirala has not declared his candidacy.
"Sushil Koirala failed to develop the party institutionally or resolve factional divisions, and the party has remained leader-centric, with the relatives of the leadership always holding sway," said KC. "I have been lobbying for a leader who has a clear vision and policy for leading the party and the country."
Some dissident leaders in the establishment faction blame Koirala for failing to hold the conventions of the party's sister wings and for leaving the party's various departments without heads and members for years.
Party Central Committee Members Chandra Bhandari, Man Bahadur Biswakarma, Keshav Kumar Budhathoki, Govinda Bhattarai and Shyam Ghimire have joined the Deuba camp of the party, severing their ties with the Koirala faction. Similarly, influential youth leader Bishwa Prakash Sharma and some others are lobbying for Deuba as the new party president.
However, Purna Bahadur Khadka, who is known to be close to Deuba, said who will be the next party president can be guessed only after the conclusion of the party's area-wise conventions.
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