KATHMANDU: Following the special general convention in January, the Nepali Congress party elected a new leadership, with Gagan Thapa becoming the party president. The special convention, held according to the demands of over 56 percent of the delegates, received recognition from the Election Commission.
However, dissatisfied former President Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leader Shekhar Koirala’s faction filed a case in court, challenging the legality of Gagan Thapa’s leadership. The case is currently under judicial review.
The Deuba-Koirala group seems to expect the court to recognize the committee elected through the 14th general convention. Yet, even if the court rules otherwise, they have not expressed any intention to split the party.
“Whatever the court decides, we will respect it. Until the verdict comes, we will treat the 14th convention as legitimate,” a central member of the 14th convention, who wished to remain anonymous, told Khabarhub.
On Monday, Purna Bahadur Khadka, who has been claiming to be NC’s acting president, organized a congratulatory program for all Nepali Congress-elected parliamentarians. On Tuesday, supporters of the 14th regular convention held a committee meeting and discussions with district presidents.
“We stayed calm earlier only to avoid disrupting the elections. We did not accept the leadership from the special convention, so now we are executing pre-planned programs actively,” the leader said.
“We have meetings scheduled continuously until April 3,” he added. The meetings aim to review the elections, prepare for the 15th regular convention, discuss the changed political scenario, and finalize upcoming action plans.
Khadka, acting as president, had previously set the dates for the 15th regular convention from May 8 to 11. The Gagan-Bishwa faction had pressured for the convention to be held before the elections. When their demand was ignored, citing possible election disruptions, the party split into two factions.
“President Deuba is currently in Singapore. We have not received clear information about him. We only heard that Arzu had a knee operation,” the leader informed.
Both factions are now conducting parallel activities. The Gagan Thapa-led Nepali Congress has set the 15th convention for September after reviewing the elections. Amid the party tussle, former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak’s arrest prompted Khadka to issue a statement as acting president. Thapa’s faction, however, decided not to oppose the government and to assist in the investigation.
While the Nepali Congress focused on elections despite the leadership dispute, the Deuba faction began parallel activities after Thapa and other office bearers suffered a significant electoral defeat.
To curb Deuba’s activities, Thapa’s faction called a disciplinary committee meeting on Wednesday, September 3. Previously, Khadka had warned that members violating party discipline could face action. Nonetheless, the Khadka group continues its programs, including provincial committee participation in district presidents’ meetings.
At the special convention, some provincial presidents, including Uddhav Thapa (Koshi), Krishna Yadav (Madhesh), Indra Bahadur Baniya (Bagmati), Lalit Jung Shahi (Karnali), and Bir Bahadur Balayar (Sudurpaschim), were absent. However, after the elections, Thapa, Yadav, and Baniya attended the first central committee meeting and continued participating in subsequent sessions.
“We all participated in the special convention enthusiastically. Although technical issues affected the results, we now need to work together to make the September convention successful,” Baniya said during the Sanepa meeting.
President Thapa expressed hope to unify all factions and lead the convention in a coordinated manner. “I am a provincial president from the regular convention as well as the special one. We contested the elections under the special convention leadership. Unexpected results came; Nepali Congress became the second party. The party must now work together to ensure the 15th convention succeeds,” Baniya added.
He said that the party should unite and proceed as it did before the elections, respecting the public mandate, with Thapa playing a key role in consolidating the Nepali Congress.
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