Kathmandu, September 28
As the establishment faction led by Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa and the faction led by former president Sher Bahadur Deuba prepare separately for the party’s 15th General Convention, they have set different nomination fees for candidates.
The Nepali Congress led by Thapa, who was elected president through a special general convention, has fixed the nomination fee for the post of central president at Rs 40,000 for the 15th General Convention.
The nomination fee has been set at Rs 30,000 for vice president and general secretary, Rs 20,000 for joint general secretary and Rs 11,000 for central committee member.
However, the election guidelines prepared by the faction led by Deuba have set relatively lower nomination fees. According to the guidelines, candidates for central president will have to pay a nomination fee of Rs 30,000.
Similarly, the fee has been fixed at Rs 25,000 for vice president and general secretary, Rs 20,000 for joint general secretary and Rs 10,000 for central committee member.
A candidate contesting for central president will have to pay Rs 10,000 less at the convention organised by the Deuba faction than at the convention led by Thapa. The Deuba faction has also set the nomination fee Rs 5,000 lower for vice president and general secretary and Rs 1,000 lower for central committee members.
Both factions have fixed the nomination fee for candidates seeking the post of joint general secretary at Rs 20,000.
The difference in nomination fees is not limited to central-level positions. The two factions have also set different fees for positions at lower levels of the party.
The Thapa-led convention has fixed the nomination fee at Rs 20,000 for provincial president, Rs 15,000 for district president, Rs 10,000 for House of Representatives constituency president and Rs 7,000 for provincial assembly constituency president.
The Deuba-led faction, meanwhile, has set the fees at Rs 10,000 for provincial president, Rs 5,000 for district president, Rs 3,500 for House of Representatives constituency president and Rs 2,500 for provincial assembly constituency president.
There is also a significant difference in the fees at the local level. The Thapa-led convention has set the nomination fee at Rs 1,000 for ward president, Rs 5,000 for rural municipality and municipality presidents, and Rs 7,000 for sub-metropolitan and metropolitan city presidents.
The Deuba-led faction has set the nomination fee at Rs 250 for ward president, Rs 1,000 for rural municipality president, Rs 2,000 for municipality president and Rs 2,500 for sub-metropolitan and metropolitan city presidents.
