Kathmandu, Jan 13: Nepali Congress general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma have put forward a set of shared proposals aimed at reforming governance, party structures, and constitutional bodies.

During the ongoing second Special General Convention, both leaders presented separate political reports on Monday. The reports focus on addressing public frustration through concrete political and administrative reforms. After reviewing both documents, several common agendas stand out.

1-Both leaders propose limiting any individual to a maximum of two terms as prime minister. Thapa has suggested amending the party statute to enforce this rule, stating that no one from the Nepali Congress should become prime minister for a third time. He has also pledged that the party would take the lead in amending the constitution to implement this provision nationally. Sharma echoes the same view, arguing that the repeated rotation of the same faces in the top executive post has deepened public anger. He proposes embedding the two-term limit in the constitution itself.

2-On party reform, both agree that a person should be nominated under the proportional representation system only once in their lifetime. The proposal aims to curb recycling of the same leaders and widen internal participation.

3-Both reports also stress the need for primary elections within the party. Thapa proposes a system where party members at the relevant level vote internally, with the top three vote getters, including at least one woman, becoming official candidates. Sharma argues that the current candidate selection process has raised questions about internal fairness. He calls for a new method that balances popularity, merit, and fairness through primary elections.

4-Another shared position is a clear rejection of pre-election alliances. Thapa says election time alliances weaken party ideals and damage organization, even if they appear tactically useful. He commits that the Nepali Congress will contest future elections on its own. Sharma also calls electoral alliances a mistake that undermined voter choice and party dignity. Referring to an earlier decision of the party’s general committee, he supports contesting future elections independently.

5-Both leaders strongly oppose political appointments based on power sharing in universities, constitutional bodies, public enterprises, and service delivery institutions. Thapa calls for ending political quotas and ensuring these institutions are run professionally, without party influence, and based on merit and inclusion. Sharma also criticizes political bargaining in appointments, including diplomatic postings, saying capable individuals were sidelined due to factional deals.

6-On party financing, both propose state funding for political parties to enforce financial discipline. Thapa suggests allocating funds based on vote share to make election spending transparent, followed by strict oversight of party finances. Sharma supports the same idea and proposes mandatory final audits by the Office of the Auditor General.

7-Strengthening the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority is another shared goal. Thapa calls for better technology, skilled investigators, and stronger capacity to handle financial crimes. Sharma proposes a transparent appointment process, including a public roster of eligible candidates and public feedback on their integrity.

8-Finally, both reports focus on public service reform. Thapa proposes fixed timelines for services, compensation for delays, and wider use of digital systems to reduce bureaucratic hurdles. Sharma supports simplifying procedures for citizenship, passports, land transactions, and licenses, cutting paperwork, fixing deadlines, and moving most services online so citizens no longer need to visit offices.

People’s News Monitoring Service

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