KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa has announced his candidacy for party president in the upcoming 15th general convention, saying the convention must be held on time and warning that the party will not go to elections without completing it.
Interacting with party leaders and cadres of Kathmandu-4 at a program held at Dhumbarahi Banquet on Monday, Thapa said he would contest for the post of party president and expressed confidence in winning the leadership race.
“I am now a candidate for party president in the 15th general convention. I will become the party president, and I want to become one,” Thapa said.
Stating that the general convention is not merely about leadership change but about renewing the party itself, Thapa expressed dissatisfaction over delays in tasks related to active membership. He said the convention could and should be held within the stipulated timeframe.
Speaking in his capacity as general secretary, Thapa said he has repeatedly told party president Sher Bahadur Deuba that the general convention must be held on time and that he has been clear on the issue.
“The convention could have been completed on time. But somewhere, somehow, we are sensing delays,” he said. “We are clearly telling the party leadership about this. We are ready to pay any price for it.”
Thapa stressed that the Nepali Congress must hold either a regular or a special general convention and categorically stated that the party would not contest elections without holding the convention.
“Without a convention, the Nepali Congress will not go to elections. It should not, it cannot, and it will not. This is absolutely clear,” he said.
Addressing concerns over delays in ward-level conventions, Thapa said minor date adjustments were possible but insisted that the convention process would not be halted. “There might be a difference of one or two days from the announced dates, but the convention will not stop,” he said. “Either the regular convention will move forward or a special convention will be held. There is no third option.”
Thapa also underscored the need to hold elections on March 5, 2026, calling it mandatory to bring the constitution back “on track.” He said the Nepali Congress would complete its general convention and then participate in the election scheduled for that date.
“Based on the party’s official position, I must say that holding elections on Falgun 21 is mandatory,” Thapa said. “The constitution has gone off track, and to bring it back on track, elections must be held on March 5, 2026.”
He said elections would usher in a new parliament that would gradually function in line with constitutional provisions. “Elections will bring a new parliament, and that parliament will gradually carry out its responsibilities,” he added.
Thapa emphasized that the Nepali Congress must go to the Falgun 21 election regardless of whether the outcome is favorable or unfavorable for the party.
“What the election result will be, how favorable or unfavorable it will be for us, that is our internal matter,” he said. “We can discuss it, try to make it favorable, work harder, and present our agenda.”
Warning of serious consequences if elections are not held, Thapa said the country could plunge into deep uncertainty. “If elections are not held now, the country could again move toward a situation of great uncertainty, like the period between 2007 BS and 2015 BS,” he said, stressing that holding elections has therefore become unavoidable.
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