KATHMANDU: Leaders from the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction of the Nepali Congress reached the Election Commission on Friday morning, stepping up pressure to assert their claim to party legitimacy following the election of Gagan Thapa as party president through a special convention.
Led by Purna Bahadur Khadka, the group arrived at the Commission office in Kantipath along with senior leaders Dhanraj Gurung, Bimalendra Nidhi, Ramesh Rijal, Shyam Ghimire, Kalyan Gurung, Jit Jung Basnet, and leaders from the Tarun Dal.
The move comes amid intensifying rivalry within the party, as the Gagan–Bishwa Prakash Sharma faction completed a special general convention and announced a new leadership team. Following the development, the Deuba camp has accelerated efforts to secure official recognition from the Commission.
On Thursday, the Thapa-led faction formally submitted an application to the Election Commission, seeking recognition as the legitimate leadership of the Nepali Congress.
With both factions lobbying the constitutional body, the Election Commission is now under pressure to determine which group holds official legitimacy of the party.
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