KATHMANDU: The Nepali Congress is set to hold a central committee meeting on Friday to decide on the resignation of party president Gagan Thapa.
According to party spokesperson Devaraj Chalise, the meeting will deliberate on the resignation proposal submitted by Thapa. A decision will be taken by the central committee following discussions.
“We cannot say at this stage what the final decision will be. It will depend on the members of the working committee,” Chalise told Khabarhub. “If the committee finds his proposal appropriate, the resignation will be accepted; otherwise, he may continue in his role.”
The central committee meeting is scheduled to run for two days, primarily to review the party’s performance in the recent elections. However, a decision on Thapa’s resignation is expected on the first day itself.
“Once the issue of the president’s resignation is settled, discussions will move on to election review, selection of the parliamentary party leader, training, and preparations for the 15th general convention,” Chalise said.
Thapa had submitted his resignation to Vice President Bishwa Prakash Sharma on Wednesday, although the development became public only on Thursday.
In the resignation letter circulated in the media, Thapa cited moral responsibility for the party’s electoral defeat. However, the formal authenticity of the letter is yet to be officially confirmed.
Chalise also said no formal decision has been made regarding who will chair the meeting if Thapa remains absent. “If he does not attend, the meeting may be chaired by one of the central committee members,” he added.
The party is expected to focus on organizational improvement following the election review. The Congress had formed a central election mobilization committee under the leadership of Bishwa Prakash Sharma, who is likely to present an analysis of the reasons behind the party’s poor performance.
Party general secretaries Pradip Paudel and Gururaj Ghimire had earlier directed lower party units and candidates to submit written reports explaining the causes of their electoral losses.
In the March 5 House of Representatives election, Thapa himself was defeated in Sarlahi-4. Notably, all party office bearers who contested the election also lost.
Thapa had earlier indicated that he would resign on moral grounds following the defeat. The party had participated in the elections shortly after holding a special general convention.
Meanwhile, a faction led by former president Sher Bahadur Deuba had not participated in the special convention and has filed a case at the Supreme Court, which remains under consideration.
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