KATHMANDU: The Election Commission has decided to grant official recognition to the Nepali Congress led by Gagan Thapa.
A meeting of the Commission held on Friday concluded that the faction headed by Thapa is the legitimate Nepali Congress. With this decision, the party’s election symbol, the tree, and the four-star flag have formally gone to the Thapa-led faction.
The decision effectively transfers the party’s legacy to Thapa, who was elected party president through the second special general convention held from January 11 until Thursday morning. The convention, organized in Kathmandu, had declared Thapa as the new party chief.
Earlier in the day, leaders and cadres from both the Gagan Thapa-led and Sher Bahadur Deuba-led factions appeared before the Election Commission to present their respective claims and arguments. Following the decision, supporters of both factions gathered outside the Commission’s office.
While Thapa’s supporters celebrated the ruling, cadres aligned with Deuba staged protests and chanted slogans, expressing dissatisfaction with the decision. In view of the situation, security around the Election Commission has been tightened.
Earlier on Friday, speaking at a press conference at the party’s central office in Sanepa, acting president of the Deuba-led faction, Purna Bahadur Khadka, had warned of nationwide protests if the Election Commission denied official recognition to their faction.
The internal rift within the Nepali Congress deepened after a special general convention was organized without the consent of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba. The convention, held at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu, elected Gagan Thapa as party president.
Following the convention, the Deuba faction accused Thapa and his allies of organizing an “illegal” gathering and subsequently expelled Thapa, along with leaders Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Farmullah Mansoor, from the party. Since then, the country’s oldest democratic party has remained effectively split into two rival factions.
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