Maoist Center’s 8th Gen Convention: COVID-19 ‘hotspot’

KATHMANDU, Jan 9: The CPN (Maoist Center) held its eight general convention in Kathmandu recently on January 6. The jamboree continued for a week which was attended by more than 1,700 representatives to re-elect Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ as their leader.

Just a few days after the conclusion, the delegates attending the convention began testing positive for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) including the newly elected chair Dahal.

So far, as many as 22 central members of the party have already confirmed to be positive for COVID-19.

Party secretary Dor Prasad Upadhaya, Avindra Parajuli, leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Matrika Yadav, Hari Bol Gajurel, Ram Prasad Sapkota, Subod Sherpali, Pancha Singh and Suman Devkota along with many others also tested positive for COVID-19.

In recent days, Chairman Dahal was busy attending meetings and holding discussions with the key political leaders including Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. PM Deuba is currently at self-isolation and had held an hour-long meeting with KP Sharma Oli at the latter's residence at Balkot on Saturday. 

Both Deuba and Dahal were present at the meeting of the ruling alliance. Dahal had also attended a meeting of a high-level political co-ordination committee the day before testing positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, delegates attending the convention have now reached their home districts who are at high risk of COVID-19 transmission.

In a similar case, the former chief minister of Karnali Province, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi who had returned home after attending the convention, tested positive for COVID-19. 

The ill-managed political activities of the major political parties and the negligence of leaders have once again triggered a spike in the new cases of COVID-19 amid global outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the country.

In recent days, Nepal has been witnessing a sharp rise in the new cases of  COVID-19 across the country. The Ministry of Health and Population on Saturday confirmed 44 more new cases of the coronavirus disease. 

With this, the total number of active cases throughout the country has reached 6,140.