By Our Reporter The Nepali Congress that turned into a tiny opposition party from a ruling party after the 2017 elections due mainly to its incompetent and power-oriented leadership, has again been marred by factional disputes with rival factions led by Ram Chandra Paudel and Krishna Prasad Situala boycotting the ongoing Central Working Committee meeting. The crux of the dispute is the date for holding the 14th general convention of the party and appointment in the party departments. Constitutionally, the general convention should have called for March this year, but party President Sher Bahadur Deuba had extended his term by a year from a meeting that was boycotted by Paudel and Situala camps. The rival factions wanted to hold the convention by December 2020 with a fixed time table. But the establishment rejected it,which resulted in the boycott of the meeting. Next is the appointment in the Nepal Student Unions and Tarun Dal. Both factions want their men to lead these powerful sister organisations. Likewise, the party had 28 departments but Deuba failed to form them in four years’ term. Now when his term is near to expire, he intended to add 19 other departments, which the rival factions did not agree. However, Deuba increased the departments to 47 violating the party statute in a meeting that was boycotted by Paudel and Sitaula loyal leaders. Deuba, who has become highly unpopular among the voters and supporters of NC due to his controversial decisions before and during the 2017 elections, wanted to consolidate his strength in the party by adding departments and giving jobs to the leaders loyal to him. However, the rival camp, which had demanded resignation of Deuba immediately after the 2017 elections on moral ground, did not want to see Deuba leading the grand old party. As Deuba enjoys majority in the central committee, he intended to move ahead by suppressing the rival factions, though it could be counterproductive for Deuba. Signs of this have already been there. Paudel and Sitaula camps have come closer, and if they get united, Deuba can never become president in the upcoming convention. It is noteworthy to mention here that Deuba had won in 2016 due to candidacy of Sitaula as Sitaula cut Paudel’s votes. But now when Paudel and Sitaula stand together, Deuba will lose his strength. Of course, had Deuba been a morally powerful, he should have stepped down after the humiliating defeat of the party, but he rejected it, and now what he has been doing will only weaken the party further. The only remedy to this is to see off Deuba as well as Paudel from the party leadership of the party. But it does not mean Sitaula should be the leader. A new competent and clean leader should lead the party to regain its strength. Although the present dispute may not cause split in the party, it may corner Deuba in the long run, which is essential for the good of the party.