KATHMANDU: Former Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s return to Nepal on Thursday after nearly five months abroad has reopened the deepest fault line inside the party, raising a question that now hangs over Sanepa: How will the party headquarters respond to a leader who is being welcomed by supporters as president even after a rival leadership has already installed the president’s board at Chundevi?
The political drama intensified on Thursday as Deuba arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after undergoing medical treatment abroad. Hundreds of supporters, leaders and cadres gathered at the airport to welcome him, turning his return into a show of strength by the faction that continues to recognize him as the legitimate leader of the party.
Notably absent, however, were leaders aligned with President Gagan Thapa and Dr. Shekhar Koirala. Their absence was widely interpreted as a reflection of the deepening divide within the Nepali Congress.
Among those who welcomed Deuba were his close associates Purna Bahadur Khadka, Dr. Shashank Koirala, Bimalendra Nidhi, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Prakash Sharan Mahat, Kanchharam Tamang, Min Bishwakarma and several senior party leaders. A number of veteran party figures were also present, but many members of the working committee elected from the special general convention held in the last week of Poush were not seen at the airport.
Dr. Shekhar Koirala, who is scheduled to address the national gathering being organized by the Deuba faction on Friday, did not attend the airport reception. According to his secretariat, his speech will focus on party unity rather than factional confrontation.
“My address on the 29th will be for party unity,” Koirala said. “I am a person who calls everyone for unity. I am more in favor of party unity than anyone else.”
‘Deuba is still the party President’
The most politically significant message came from Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Dr. Shashank Koirala, both of whom publicly asserted that Deuba remains the president of the Nepali Congress.
“Sher Bahadur was and will remain the president of the Nepali Congress until the next general convention,” Sitaula said. “Who took control of the party through what kind of convention is not our issue. We are the Congress today and we will remain the Congress tomorrow. We are not in favor of party division.”
Dr. Shashank Koirala, who has been playing a coordinating role with Deuba’s leadership, also reiterated his support for party unity while joining the reception at the airport.
Sanepa meeting continues
At the same time, the Nepali Congress Central Committee meeting recognized by the Supreme Court and the Election Commission continued at the party headquarters in Sanepa on Thursday.
The meeting reviewed recent disputes within the party, growing factional divergence and the possibility of an organizational split. Leaders including President Gagan Thapa and senior office bearers expressed their views on the party’s latest political developments.
It remains unclear what course the Sanepa meeting will take regarding unity with the Deuba faction. Several rounds of discussions have already been held in recent months, but no concrete agreement has emerged.
Earlier this week, Dr. Shekhar Koirala and Gagan Thapa also met to discuss party unity, yet that dialogue too ended without a breakthrough. According to party sources, Thapa welcomed Deuba’s return and wished him good health, while also expressing hope that the party would move forward through reconciliation.
“Outgoing President Deuba is welcome in the country. We have all wished him good health,” a source quoted Thapa as saying during the meeting. “Discussions are continuing on what kind of dialogue and political exercise should be taken forward to unify the party and what role different leaders can play after Deuba’s return.”
Yet beneath the formal calls for reconciliation, anxiety is growing within the Thapa camp. Leaders there reportedly fear that Deuba’s address at today’s national gathering could signal a more confrontational course and possibly open the door to a formal split in the party.
For now, the Nepali Congress stands suspended between two centers of authority: Sanepa, where the institution is meeting, and Chundevi, where Deuba’s supporters insist the presidency still belongs to him.
Law and statute or ownership of leadership?
A sharp dispute has emerged within the Nepali Congress over whether the party should accept the leadership elected through the special general convention or continue recognizing the old leadership.
One faction argues that the leadership elected through the special general convention must be accepted because it was chosen through legal and procedural processes. The Deuba camp, however, has refused to recognize Gagan Thapa as the president of the Nepali Congress.
General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire has insisted that the leadership elected in accordance with the law and the party statute should be accepted. General Secretary Pradeep Poudel has also argued that the Nepali Congress can move forward as a united party only if the leadership formed through legal and statutory procedures is recognized.
As leaders from even non-establishment groups have declined to accept Thapa as party president, political circles have increasingly begun to analyze that the Nepali Congress has reached a point where division has become a real possibility.
‘Unity, not division’
Through a statement issued immediately after returning to Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba sought to convey that he favors unity rather than division. Appearing relatively conciliatory toward Gagan Thapa, Deuba attempted to send what many consider an important message about both the party and the country.
Referring to the internal dispute, Deuba said, “When there is a dispute within the country’s own major party, the national identity of the country itself can be weakened.” He claimed that he had returned to Nepal not to stage a show of power or to seek authority, but to strengthen national unity.
At the same time, the large presence of leaders, cadres and supporters at Tribhuvan International Airport immediately after his return was widely viewed as a demonstration of his continuing political strength.
Even before his arrival, there had been speculation in political circles that Deuba was preparing to become active in the struggle for power within the party. Thursday’s reception has further reinforced that perception. The Deuba faction, which does not recognize Gagan Thapa as party president, has also installed a president’s signboard at Deuba’s Chundevi residence. This has strengthened the view that Deuba is unlikely to accept Thapa’s leadership, at least for now.
Leaders close to Deuba say the political direction of the faction will become clearer after Deuba addresses Friday’s national gathering. “Our president will address the gathering on Friday. After that, everything will become clear. Why reveal everything today?” said Deuba faction leader Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat.
Waiting for Friday’s message
In his statement, Deuba said he would continue to work for law, justice and the supreme interests of the country. He also said that the legitimate demands raised during the Gen-Z movement of September 8-9, 2025 should be addressed, while the contribution of the older generation should be respected as the new generation is brought forward.
“My life is an open book,” Deuba said. “As long as I live, I will work in accordance with the nation, nationality, democracy, the best interests of the country and the people, the constitution, law, ethics and values.”
The key political question now is what message Deuba will deliver in Friday’s address. Although he has adopted a somewhat softer tone toward Gagan Thapa and acknowledged the aspirations of the younger generation, his close allies continue to reject Thapa’s claim to the party presidency.
As the two sides continue to accuse each other and refuse to recognize each other’s authority, questions are increasingly being raised about whether the Nepali Congress is moving toward reconciliation or being pushed closer to an organizational split.
Deuba faction stages show of strength
Deuba’s return to Nepal was accompanied by a clear display of political strength, with a large number of leaders, cadres and supporters gathering at Tribhuvan International Airport to welcome him.
Political analysts say the reception sent a strong signal that Deuba has not accepted Gagan Thapa as the president of the Nepali Congress. According to them, the decision to install a president’s signboard at Deuba’s Chundevi residence was also intended as a direct challenge to Thapa’s leadership, especially at a time when dialogue between the two camps has remained stalled.
The Deuba camp insists, however, that it is seeking unity rather than confrontation. “We are in favor of party unity,” Deuba faction leader Ramesh Lekhak told reporters. “We are confident that Sher Bahadur Dai has returned to Nepal and that he will strengthen the unity of the party.”
What will the establishment faction do?
Leaders and cadres elected to the working committee through the special general convention are not expected to attend the Deuba faction’s national gathering scheduled for Friday. Central committee leaders aligned with the establishment camp are also unlikely to participate, although some of them were present at the airport to welcome Deuba on Thursday.
Leaders close to Gagan Thapa have acknowledged that some of the general convention delegates who participated in the special general convention held in the last week of last month may still attend the Deuba faction’s gathering.
The establishment camp has already indicated that no disciplinary action will be taken against delegates who choose to participate. As a result, there is a possibility that some delegates associated with the Thapa camp may attend the Deuba faction’s program.
Deuba faction leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula said that while all Congress members had been invited to the national gathering, personal invitations had not been sent to office bearers elected through the special general convention or to central committee leaders.
Congress dispute
The internal dispute within the Nepali Congress has now reached the courts for review, and some political observers have begun speculating that the special general convention itself could eventually be invalidated.
Senior Nepali Congress leaders, however, have urged restraint and have said that matters pending before the court should be left to judicial determination.
Meanwhile, during Thursday’s Central Working Committee meeting, Gagan Thapa welcomed Deuba as the former president of the party, a gesture that was interpreted by some as an attempt to maintain at least a minimal political opening for future dialogue.
All eyes on Friday’s address
Attention has now shifted to Deuba’s address at Friday’s national gathering. After returning home following nearly five months abroad, Deuba publicly delivered a message of “unity, not division.” Yet the political significance of his next steps is expected to go far beyond the wording of that statement.
Whether he chooses confrontation, negotiation or a middle path will shape not only the immediate direction of the Nepali Congress but also the future of the party itself.
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