CHITWAN:- The closed session of the first national convention of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has been rescheduled for Tuesday due to various issues relating to the distribution of delegate identity cards.
According to the RSP spokesperson Manish Jha, the work of distributing delegates’ identity cards could not be completed on time on Monday. The rescheduling of the closed session has resulted in the three-day national convention being extended by one more day.
Spokesperson Jha informed that the party postponed the closed session as the work of verifying the details of the delegates, verifying the name list, and printing the identity cards took more time than expected.
At a press conference organized at the convention venue in Bharatpur on Monday evening, party spokesperson Jha and Central Election Commission chief Bhuwan KC informed about the reason for rescheduling the closed session.
Spokesperson Jha said that since the convention is the highest decision-making body of the party, special precautions have been taken to avoid any weaknesses in delegate management. He informed that the work of verifying the details of the delegates coming from various districts and provinces across the country is ongoing and the party has come to the conclusion that it is not appropriate to start the closed session until the process is completed.
“The legitimacy and credibility of the general convention is linked to the correct records and participation of the delegates. We want to conduct the closed session only by completely organizing the details of the delegates, membership and identity card distribution process,” spokesperson Jha said.
He also mentioned an issue concerning the number of delegates from Madhes Province, as more than 500 individuals claimed to represent it.
“We will go into the process only after the details are confirmed. We will start the closed session only after finalizing the issue of the delegates by Tuesday afternoon,” Jha said.
If anyone is not allowed to participate in the general convention now, he/she will be deprived for five years, so the organizing committee has postponed it by one day, he added.
Similarly, Election Commission Chief KC also informed that work is being done by prioritizing the distribution of representative identity cards.
According to him, the distribution of printed identity cards to representatives would begin on Monday evening. The remaining identity cards are scheduled to be distributed on Tuesday morning. The closed session will be held only after all the representatives have received their identity cards, he said.
Informing that all necessary preparations related to the election have been completed, KC clarified that the election process of the general convention will proceed as soon as the work of managing the representatives is completed.
“The Election Commission is prepared. The closed session will start after the distribution of representative identity cards is completed, and then the prescribed statutory processes will proceed,” KC stated.
The RSP has stated that it is preparing to begin the closed session after 12 noon on Tuesday.
Various proposals of the general convention will be discussed in the closed session and the process of selecting the party’s new leadership will also proceed. Although efforts to reach a consensus for selecting the leadership at the general convention are ongoing, the party has stated that the leadership will be selected through the election process if necessary.
The first national convention of the RSP is seen as a significant opportunity for the party’s organizational development and institutional strengthening. The party is expected to elect a new leadership through the convention and make important decisions on future political direction, organizational expansion strategy, and statute-related issues.
Meanwhile, the party has apologized for the inconvenience caused to the delegates, observers, and well-wishers due to the deferral of the closed session.
In a joint statement issued by the Central Election Commission and the Delegate Management Subcommittee, it stated that the programme had to be postponed due to the time required to complete the distribution of delegate identity cards, and thanked everyone for their patience, restraint, and cooperation.
The RSP convention is being attended by a significant number of delegates from across the country.
Through the convention, delegates will select a 151-member central committee, including 19 office bearers. The 19 office bearers include a president, one senior leader, three vice presidents, two general secretaries, five joint general secretaries, one spokesperson, three joint spokespersons, a treasurer and a co-treasurer.