KATHMANDU: The Nepali Congress launched its one-month grassroots campaign with the onset of the Nepali New Year 2083, aiming to engage party workers at the local level and digitally update active membership records.
The campaign, was formally inaugurated on Baisakh 1 by party President Gagan Kumar Thapa. On the occasion, he personally visited Ward Unit Office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City–30 to update his active party membership.
The initiative was launched following the party’s disappointing performance in the March 5 elections, with an objective to strengthen the organization through technology and improve coordination between the central leadership and grassroots level structures.
Originally scheduled for one month, the campaign was extended twice—first to June 4 and again to June 11 at midnight—due to technical difficulties. The programme ultimately ran for 1 month and 28 days.
According to a press statement issued by Acting Chief Secretary Krishna Prasad Dulal, over 80 percent of party members completed digital updates during the campaign period.
As of the deadline, 538,622 members had received the “NC ID” through ward presidents, while 149,309 members had submitted forms and were in the process of verification and updating.
The statement further noted that out of 782,209 eligible members, a total of 687,931 members have either completed or are in the process of completing membership updates.
The party also stated that membership distribution remains open, particularly for districts with limited internet access and for diaspora-based contact committees, which will be managed separately.
Internal leadership divide over membership data
At the 14th General Convention, the Nepali Congress had 852,711 active members. For the upcoming 15th General Convention, responsibility for membership renewal was entrusted to then General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa, who also served as coordinator of the active membership management committee.
He had previously submitted data showing 870,000 members to the central committee led by Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The party had projected that each member would translate into two votes, estimating around 2.61 million votes. However, this expectation was not reflected in the 2022 general elections.
While the party received approximately 2.7 million proportional votes in earlier calculations, the actual figure dropped to 1.75 million votes, according to party records.
In the election outcome, the Nepali Congress was reduced from 89 seats to 38 seats, marking a significant electoral setback.
Party spokesperson Devaraj Chalise said the results reflected shifting voter behavior rather than major changes in membership numbers.
“Some members, due to dissatisfaction and political circumstances, shifted their votes to alternative parties. We failed to communicate effectively at the grassroots level,” he said, adding that recent policy reforms have helped restore confidence within the party.
He further stated that all members would have equal opportunity under the updated system, and no special privileges would be granted based on status or factional alignment.
Digital transformation and internal optimism
Another coordinator of the membership management committee, General Secretary Pradeep Paudel, described the campaign as a major step towards digital transformation of the party.
Despite political challenges, he said the completion of over 80 percent of membership updates in a short time was a significant achievement that would strengthen organisational structure and data management.
Internal factional divide continues
However, tensions remain between establishment and non-establishment factions within the party.
Leaders including former Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka and senior leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala, along with several members of the 14th central committee, remain outside the digital updating process following the party’s internal disputes after the special general convention.
Although election-related disputes have been formally settled by the Election Commission and Supreme Court, internal reconciliation has not progressed.
Khadka recently claimed through social media that he had not met President Gagan Thapa for over a month, while Koirala also confirmed that no direct dialogue has taken place with the establishment faction.
Leaders from the non-establishment camp say internal talks have not progressed meaningfully.
“The establishment has not taken sufficient initiative for unity. There is still a sense of exclusion among long-serving leaders,” said leader Min Bishwakarma, adding that discussions remain informal and fragmented.
He said the faction is currently focused on provincial-level gatherings, including ongoing preparations in Koshi Province after similar meetings in Sudurpaschim, Bagmati, Karnali and Gandaki provinces.
Another leader from the faction, Guru Baral, said lack of meaningful dialogue from the establishment side is deepening internal divisions.
Former party spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat also warned that failure to ensure broad unity could weaken the party’s efforts to re-establish itself politically.
“There remains a psychological divide between the two sides. Without broader unity, our effort to regain public trust will be weakened,” he said, urging serious initiative from party leadership.
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