KATHMANDU: Gagan Kumar Thapa, President of the Nepali Congress, is preparing to resign following the party’s poor performance in the recent House of Representatives of Nepal elections, sources said.
Thapa and party vice-president Bishwo Prakash Sharma are currently holding internal discussions after the party was reduced to just 18 seats under the first-past-the-post category in the election held on March 5.
According to sources, the two leaders began discussions Monday evening in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, to review the party’s electoral performance.
Thapa and Sharma had entered the election after announcing “Congress 2.0” through a special convention held in December. However, the election results dealt a major setback to the party, which recorded one of the weakest performances in its history by securing only 18 direct seats.
Meanwhile, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, led by Rabi Lamichhane, has won 125 seats under the direct election system. With proportional representation votes added, the party is seen as likely to secure a two-thirds majority in parliament.
Thapa himself was defeated in Sarlahi District constituency-4 by Amresh Kumar Singh of the Rastriya Swatantra Party by a margin of around 12,000 votes.
Following the defeat, pressure has mounted on Thapa to take moral responsibility and resign from his position.
During discussions, Thapa reportedly expressed his willingness to step down, stating that it would be appropriate to take responsibility for the party’s defeat.
However, Sharma has advised him not to rush into resignation. He reportedly said the election outcome was not the result of a single individual but rather the product of broader circumstances.
Sharma suggested that the party should first conduct a comprehensive review of the election results before taking further decisions. The discussion between the two leaders, which began in the evening, is still ongoing in New Baneshwor.
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