KATHMANDU: Purna Bahadur Khadka, once one of former Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s closest confidants, has recently moved closer to Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa.
The development was evident during the Deuba faction’s national gathering held from August 14 to 16. Khadka attended the inauguration of the gathering but was absent from the closing ceremony. Another senior leader, Dr. Shekhar Koirala, was also absent from the closing session.
Both Khadka and Koirala are currently in regular communication with President Thapa. Leaders close to Khadka say he is not in favor of splitting the party. Koirala, meanwhile, has reportedly concluded that since Thapa has accepted his proposed roadmap, efforts should be made to maintain party unity.
Deuba has faced growing challenges after Khadka moved closer to Thapa, who was entrusted with the responsibility of acting president following the Gen-Z movement of September 8 and 9, 2025.
After receiving information that Khadka was in contact with leaders from the establishment faction and meeting them regularly, Deuba discussed the matter with his close associates, including Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, Prakash Man Singh, Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Dr. Shashank Koirala. Those leaders also appeared concerned about Khadka’s role and suggested that Deuba speak with him directly.
However, Deuba and Khadka have yet to meet. Khadka’s secretariat has also not confirmed whether the two leaders have spoken by telephone. “There will be discussions with the leaders. He is a former president, so there must have been some communication,” said a member of Khadka’s secretariat.
Khadka and Deuba held a lengthy conversation during the Deuba faction’s national gathering on August 14. Apart from another meeting two or three days later, Khadka has reportedly not been in contact with Deuba since then.
Asked whether Khadka was no longer in contact with Deuba, Nepali Congress leader Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat said the focus should be on uniting the party.
“All Nepali Congress leaders are preparing to unite the party. There is no question of who is in contact with whom. We are all holding discussions and preparing for party unity. But Gagan Thapa is distancing himself from us,” Mahat said.
Deuba has not yet received confirmation that Khadka has fully aligned himself with Thapa. However, leaders close to Thapa say an agreement with both Khadka and Koirala could be reached within a few days.
“We are in talks. An agreement will be reached in a few days. Then we will know the outcome. Discussions are continuing,” said a Congress leader. “Many leaders are ready to unite with them. The results will become clear in a few days.”
At present, leaders close to former president Deuba have not been able to accept Thapa as the party president. Thapa, for his part, is also not in a position to sit down and negotiate with leaders close to Deuba.
Deuba, who left for Singapore on February 25, 2026, returned home on August 13, 2026. He then travelled from Singapore to Hong Kong and remained there amid concerns that he could be arrested upon returning to Nepal. However, after the Supreme Court ordered a review of its earlier decision recognizing Thapa as party president, the Balendra Shah-led government, which had previously been prepared to arrest Deuba, welcomed him with a red-carpet reception.
During his five-month stay abroad, Deuba also organized a national gathering under his leadership. Through the gathering, he sent a message that he intended to lead the 15th General Convention himself. President Thapa, however, did not accept that condition. Instead, preparations for the 15th General Convention have been intensified.
Deuba had even filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court seeking to halt the Congress’s preparations for the 15th General Convention. However, the court did not rule in his favor and instead paved the way for preparations for the convention to continue.
Khadka had also approached the court, seeking an order to halt activities related to the General Convention. However, after the court allowed the Congress to continue its convention-related activities, Khadka has increasingly moved closer to Thapa.
Asked whether he was in contact with Khadka, Congress General Secretary Pradeep Poudel said discussions were being held with all party leaders.
“We are in discussions with all the leaders. Discussions are continuing not only with Purna Bahadur Khadka but also with other leaders. All the leaders are in favor of unity. However, there are some disagreements here and there. Since only minor issues remain, they will be resolved by the 15th General Convention,” Poudel said.
He added, “If the leaders accept the Nepali Congress’s methods, policies and principles, there is a possibility of them coming together now. However, there is still some confusion among them.”
According to sources, Thapa is positive about Koirala’s conditions and is currently holding discussions on them. At the same time, Congress leaders are also discussing the conditions put forward by Purna Bahadur Khadka. Thapa urged Koirala to support party unity, saying that he had no personal greed or ulterior motive.
Meanwhile, when asked about Ramesh Lekhak, one of Deuba’s close leaders, he said he was not aware of the matter. “I am not aware of this. If you are asking about me, I am not in dialogue with Gagan Thapa. I do not know about other people’s matters. I have not been involved in many discussions or dialogues due to my mother’s health,” he said.
Shekhar also moves closer to Gagan
Dr. Shekhar Koirala’s role in the Nepali Congress had previously remained somewhat on the sidelines. As his own party colleague Gagan Thapa began gaining prominence, Koirala appeared increasingly dissatisfied with the situation. However, he was unable to reconcile the competing factions within the Congress, win Thapa’s confidence, or establish a satisfactory relationship with Deuba.
Koirala is currently in closer contact with Thapa and has had comparatively less communication with Sher Bahadur Deuba. His role, however, still appears to be evolving. Leaders close to Koirala say he has recently been in more frequent contact with Thapa than with Deuba and is likely to continue those discussions.
Asked about the matter, Koirala said the Congress should remain united and that other developments would become clear in due course.
Thapa and Koirala also met recently. During the meeting, Koirala urged Thapa to remain open to the possibility of bringing the party together.
Thapa told Koirala that the Nepali Congress could work together if the leadership issue was resolved and the party moved forward on the basis of its established policies and principles. Thapa also said that if Koirala accepted the leadership emerging from the Special General Convention and agreed to proceed with the 15th General Convention, the differences could be resolved.
Thapa told Koirala that since the Congress was preparing for the regular General Convention, he would fulfill his responsibilities and step aside at any cost. Koirala, meanwhile, has put forward five separate conditions for reaching an agreement with Thapa.
According to sources, Thapa is positive about Koirala’s conditions and is currently holding discussions on them. At the same time, Congress leaders are also discussing the conditions put forward by Purna Bahadur Khadka. Thapa urged Koirala to support party unity, saying that he had no personal greed or ulterior motive.
“I have no greed or personal interest. Let us follow the rules and procedures and proceed with the regular 15th General Convention. The demand of Congress well-wishers is also for the 15th General Convention. Grassroots cadres have already mobilized for the convention. You, as senior leaders, should urge everyone to unite the party and prepare for the General Convention. If we follow the rules and procedures and move forward through dialogue, we are ready to move forward together,” Thapa said.
Thapa also asked Koirala to urge Deuba, as a senior leader and guardian of the party, to support unity rather than follow the advice of others. He argued that if senior leaders acted as guardians, the party could remain united.
“Senior leaders should play a role in uniting the party, not dividing it and creating divisions among cadres. In what capacity Sher Bahadur Dai was appointed president at Chundevi was their own matter. That incident reflects the level of political culture we have come from. It has become clear what kind of political culture we have inherited. Otherwise, they would not have taken any step that could harm the Congress. This is not my concern. The General Convention belongs to the Congress and its well-wishers,” Thapa said.
Koirala told Thapa that he was in favor of party unity and was also in communication with Sher Bahadur Deuba. He also urged Thapa to meet Deuba once and discuss the matter directly.
Thapa, however, said the Deuba faction itself had not created an environment conducive to such a meeting.
“At present, only a few leaders have prevented an environment from being created for dialogue with Sher Bahadur Deuba. I am ready to meet and speak with the former president at the appropriate time. I have never said that I will not do so,” Thapa said.
Thapa also expressed his willingness to discuss the various conditions put forward by Koirala. He said he would discuss the conditions within the party and communicate his position to Koirala.
Thapa again urged Koirala to take on the role of a senior leader and help bring the party together.
Koirala also agrees with many of Thapa’s positions but has demanded that certain issues be addressed. Among his key demands are provisions concerning new party membership and the renewal of membership of representatives elected to the 14th General Convention.
Shekhar said he was working to preserve party unity and had no personal interest in the ongoing discussions.
“I am playing a role for party unity. However, problems arise when leaders act according to their own interests. Dialogue is ongoing with Gagan Thapa, and discussions are also taking place with the other side. I have no vested interest. I am in favor of saving the Congress from division. Where do Gagan Thapa and I stand? No, we are engaged in efforts to unite the party,” he said.
Leaders close to Deuba say Koirala remains in contact with them as well. However, they believe that if Deuba ultimately moves to split the party, Koirala is also likely to join the official Congress led by Gagan Thapa.
“If Shekhar and Purna Bahadur Khadka had sided with us, the process of party division could have advanced much further. However, they have not been able to take a clear position. In recent days, we have received information that they are in closer contact with Gagan Thapa and have reduced their communication with other leaders. We have also discussed this with Deuba,” said a leader close to the former president.
The leader said efforts had been made from various angles to preserve party unity but had yielded little progress.
“I played a significant role in trying to unite the party, but I am now tired and have remained silent. I have also told Sher Bahadur Deuba that I cannot continue doing this. I have discussed the matter from various perspectives. However, after neither side agreed to the proposals, I decided to remain silent. It is very difficult to unite the party,” the leader said.
Claims of influencing both sides
Deuba faction leader Kanchharam Tamang believes that other leaders have been influencing Gagan Thapa and pushing him in a particular direction. He claims Thapa could ultimately suffer because of his straightforward approach.
“Gagan Thapa is being instigated by others. Just wait and see; he will suffer later. Many Congress leaders are in a position to move toward Sher Bahadur Dai if he forms a separate party. Even if they do not support him immediately, they will eventually stand behind Sher Bahadur,” Tamang said.
Thapa has accused former Nepali Congress President Deuba of making false claims. Addressing a public event, Thapa alleged that Deuba had been misled by others and that false information had been presented to him.
“Today, he said that it would not be possible to recognize you as president. But before you arrived, no one came and told you what should be done regarding Sher Bahadur Deuba. Today, they again lied to you, saying that you should not be recognized as president,” Thapa said. He made the remarks while addressing the Central Working Committee meeting recently.
Meanwhile, Nepali Congress Vice President Pushpa Bhusal also said in an interview with Khabarhub that other leaders had prevented Deuba from taking a clear position in favor of party unity.
“Our understanding is that Sher Bahadur Deuba is in favor of party unity. However, many other leaders are provoking him. When he is pushed toward party division, Sher Bahadur Dai says that it should not happen and that he should play the role of a guardian. He is being treated unfairly,” Bhusal said.
Bhusal suggested that Deuba and the other senior leaders should all be prepared to make compromises in the interest of party unity.
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