Nepal, Oct. 6 -- The Nepali Congress (NC) has pledged not to form electoral alliances or make seat-sharing arrangements before elections, saying it will contest elections under its own symbol, programs and candidates.

Presenting his political report at the closed session of the party's 15th General Convention in Kathmandu on Monday, party President Gagan Kumar Thapa said past pre-election alliances had weakened the party's identity, demoralized cadres and undermined democratic competition.

The report proposes adopting a primary election system to select candidates through direct votes of party members, with merit, integrity, contribution and performance serving as the key criteria instead of factional influence and access.

It also cal...