Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Manoj Mani Acharya Announce NC Joint General Secretary Bids
Nepali Congress leaders Jeevan Bahadur Shahi and Manoj Mani Acharya have announced their bids for joint general secretary ahead of the 15th General Convention in Kathmandu.
Ahead of the Nepali Congress's 15th General Convention, party leaders Jeevan Bahadur Shahi and Manoj Mani Acharya have declared their candidacies for the post of joint general secretary under separate statutory clusters.
Shahi, a former chief minister of Karnali Province, announced through social media on Friday that he will contest the post under the backward-region quota, Setopati and Nagarik News reported. Shahi stated that his bid aims to amplify the voices of remote geographies and marginalized populations while building a more inclusive and dynamic party apparatus, according to reports by Onlinekhabar, Setopati, and Nagarik News.
Appealing to convention delegates for support, Shahi framed a vote for his candidacy not merely as a personal triumph, but as representation and institutional dignity for underdeveloped areas, Setopati and Nagarik News noted. Shahi previously ran for the same backward-region joint general secretary post during the party's 14th General Convention in 2021 (2078 BS), where he lost to Badri Pandey, as reported across all three outlets covering his announcement.
Earlier in the week, former Nepal Student Union (NSU) leader Manoj Mani Acharya disclosed his intention to vie for joint general secretary under the Khas Arya cluster, Onlinekhabar reported on Wednesday. Acharya, who secured his convention delegate seat from Rolpa, was among the prominent figures previously demanding a special general convention. He told Onlinekhabar that he had already formally apprised the party president and vice presidents of his electoral plans.
Under the Nepali Congress's amended party statute, the central committee includes 11 joint general secretaries. Eight positions are directly elected along designated inclusive clusters—representing Khas Arya, women, Indigenous nationalities, Dalits, Madheshis, Tharus, Muslims, and backward regions—while the party president nominates three additional posts, Onlinekhabar noted.
The Nepali Congress is convening its 15th General Convention in Kathmandu starting Sunday, October 4 (Asoj 18), with delegates gathering from across the country to elect the party's top leadership.