Dec 1, Kathmandu- As there are many aspirants to contest in the NC state convention, there is a tug of war between the establishment and non-establishment groups to decide the candidates.

 There are many aspirants. Therefore, The leaders who were assigned from the center to form a team are also in trouble. Central member Gururaj Ghimire and state assembly parliamentary party leader Rajiv Koirala are claimants in the non-establishment group in Province-1. Central member Shekhar Koirala is coordinating the team formation. Former president of Morang Amrit Aryal and former president of Jhapa Uddhav Thapa are aspiring in the established group.

A leader said that there was a possibility of an alliance between the Sher Bahadur Deuba-Sitaula faction in Province 1, which is dominated by the Koirala faction. Sitaula is trying to move Thapa forward. Vice President Bimalendra Nidhi is trying to bring results in his home province of Province 2 in such a way that there is a consensus and a majority in his favor. He wants to make Ram Saroj Yadav, who is also the leader of the state assembly parliamentary party, the unanimous chairman.

Former president of Bara, Krishna Yadav, and former president of Parsa Ajay Dwivedi have claimed for the post from Deuba's group. The former president of Saptari, Ram Kumar Yadav is aspiring from the non-establishment group. Though the discussion of the aspirants for the chairmanship has started, the process of electing the state and central representatives has been delayed. The Central Election Commission (CEC) is preparing to start the convention in the remaining districts on the same day.

Makwanpur district president Indra Bahadur Baniya has announced his candidature from the establishment group in Bagmati. On the other hand, Bhimsen Das Pradhan of Sitaula's group is also aspiring. According to his closest leader, during the municipal and district level elections, there was an agreement between the Deuba-Sitaula faction to nominate Pradhan as its candidate for the post.

There are half a dozen of aspirants from non-establishment groups in Bagmati. Former president of Kavre, Madhu Acharya, former president of Nuwakot, Jagdish Narasingh KC, and former secretary of Kathmandu, Raju Raj Joshi are the main claimants. Among them, senior leader Poudel wants Acharya, Prakash Man Singh wants Joshi and Arjun Narasimha KC wants his brother Jagdish Narasimha to participate as well.

There is no environment for the three leaders to sit together and decide on a common candidate. Yesterday afternoon, Singh had called the aspirants at his residence for a discussion. Besides Acharya, Joshi, and KC, former president of Dhading Ramesh Dhamala, former president of Ramechhap Ram Chandra Khadka, and former MP of Sindhuli Mohan Baral also participated in the discussion.

According to an aspirant, Singh is coordinating the team formation on behalf of the group. In senior leader Poudel's home state of Gandaki, four candidates from his group have announced their candidacies. Former Kaski leader Shukra Raj Sharma, Devraj Chalise, a former minister who has just left the work from campus and entered active politics, former minister Yagya Bahadur Thapa and former Tanahun president Raghunath Poudel are in the process of contesting from the group.

The establishment group has formed a team led by central member Arjun Prasad Joshi. Despite the good influence of non-establishment groups in Gandaki, there is a challenge in the management of aspirants. In Poudel's home districts of Tanahu and Kaski, where his group had a clear majority, the establishment side snatched the result.

In Kaski, four candidates were fielded from the Poudel faction. In the second phase, Kishor Dutta Baral of Deuba's faction was elected as the chairperson. In Lumbini, there is a tug of war between former Minister of State for Home Affairs Devendra Raj Kandel and Rupandehi-5 MP Bharat Shah from the establishment group. Deuba has given the responsibility of team building to central member Bal Krishna Khan, who is also the home minister. In the last election of Rupandehi district, his brother Ram Krishna Khan was unanimously elected chairman with the help of Shah.

A leader close to Khan said that it was agreed to nominate Shah for the post of state president during the district election. The non-establishment group is preparing to make Rolpa's former president Amar Singh Pun its president. The establishment group seems enthusiastic as good results have been obtained in Banke, Bardiya, and Rupandehi districts. In Karnali, Rajiv Bikram Shah and Lalit Jung Shahi are claimants from the establishment group.

General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka is trying to form a team. He has been in Surkhet since the first week of November. Shahi, a Former Member of Parliament from Jumla, changed groups before the general convention process began. According to a source, former Jajarkot CA member, Shah is also wanted by Chairman Sher Bahadur Deuba. Young leader Bhupendra Jung Shahi and former MP Deepak Jung Shah are aspiring from other groups. A team has been formed under the coordination of Central Member Hriday Ram Thani to form a team. A leader of the group said that work is being done to finalize the presidential candidate till today.

Former president of Kailali Narnarayan Shah, former minister of state Achham Govind Shah, former minister of state Arjun Jung Singh of Bajhang, state assembly member of Dadeldhura Govinda Bohara, and former central vice president of Nevisangha Pushpa Bikram Shahi have announced their candidacies in Deuba's home state Far West. Candidates from non-establishment groups are not seen announcing openly.
But either Bharat Khadka or Kamal Shah could be the candidate, said a leader of the group. Deuba has given the responsibility of coordinating the team formation to the central member NP Saud on behalf of the group. Central members Ramesh Lekhak and Bir Bahadur Balayer are also involved in team building. As there is competition between Saud and the same group of writers in the Far West, it is said that Chairman Deuba himself will be active in building consensus.

The claimants of the state president are as follows.
In Province 1, there are Amrit Aryal from the establishment party, Gururaj Ghimire and Rajiv Koirala from the establishment party, and Uddhav Thapa from the Sitaula party.

Similarly, Krishna Yadav and Ajay Dwivedi from the establishment side, Ram Saroj Yadav from the fund side, and Ram Kumar Yadav from the establishment side are in Province 2.

In Bagmati province, Indra Baniya from the establishment party, Madhu Acharya, Raju Raj Joshi, and Jagadishan Singh KC from the establishment party, Sitaula party, and Bhimsen Das Pradhan from the third party are in the fray.

In Gandaki province, Arjun Prasad Joshi from the establishment side, Shukra Raj Sharma, Devraj Chalise, Yagya Bahadur Thapa, and Raghunath Poudel from the establishment side are present.

In Lumbini, Bharat Shah and Devendra Raj Kandel from the establishment party and Amar Singh from the other party are also present.
In Karnali province, Rajiv Bikram Shah and Lalit Jung Shahi are from the establishment side and Bhupendra Jung Shahi and Deepak Jung Shah are from the other side.

Similarly, Narnarayan Shah, Govind Shah, Arjun Jung Singh, Govind Bohra, Kamal Shah, and Bharat Khadka from the establishment side are in the far western region.