Kathmandu [Nepal], October 9 (ANI): Nepal’s largest opposition party, the Nepali Congress, on Friday is electing high-post officials a year ahead of the local polls after facing a setback in the March election.
Polls open on Friday morning to elect a new Central Working Committee, a day later than planned, with senior-most general convention representative Shobhakanta Baral casting the first ballot.
Delegates began lining up early to vote, reviving the enthusiasm of those who had waited in vain on Thursday. Some are keen to cast their ballots and head home in time to celebrate Dashain with their families.
“This is one of the processes that we are required to do at the convention in five years, but this is not only a regular event for us. We have just come through a bad result from the recent election, so there is a lot to do to organise the party within itself. The main focus for us after this (general convention) election is to regain the voters, our traditional voters whom we lost in the last election, "Gagan Kumar Thapa, President of the Nepali Congress, who is running in the fray to continue over the post, told ANI.
"The estimate is around 10 Lakhs (One million) who have been voting for the Nepali Congress for a long time, but we have lost them in the last election. That will be the first thing. We know their grievances, and the claim would be that we have come in a new avatar addressing all the grievances. That is how we will start,” he added.
The Himalayan Nation will be holding the election for local bodies next year as the tenure of the elected local representatives will end in 2027.
On Friday’s election, a total of 7,317 eligible general convention representatives will be exercising their franchise. In the election, the oldest party of Nepal and the largest opposition, with 38 seats in the House of Representatives, will elect a Party President, Vice Presidents, General Secretaries, Joint General Secretaries and Central Committee members. The Nepali Congress has amended its statute to expand the Central Working Committee to 297 members.
In the previously dissolved House of Representatives before the Gen-Z revolution, the Congress held the highest- 89 seats.
The General Convention of the oldest party of the Himalayan Nation is being held nearly 8 months after the special convention held in January this year before the election. It is the party’s first regular national convention since December 2021.
At the January special convention, Gagan Kumar Thapa became the party president, which was convened by over 54 per cent of party delegates, replacing Sher Bahadur Deuba’s leadership.
The Election Commission officially recognised Thapa’s committee on January 16, and the Supreme Court upheld that recognition on April 17, though the court agreed in August to review its decision.
While the Thapa-led establishment is conducting the regular convention to fulfil statutory requirements, Deuba’s camp continues to boycott the process and has called a rival gathering for December 7 to 9.
The oldest party’s second special convention was held in Kathmandu from January 11 to 14 after representatives who made up more than half of the party’s delegates signed a demand for it. 54 per cent of representatives attended, while only about 30 members of Deuba’s central committee took part. The gathering elected Gagan Thapa president and formed a new central working committee.
Under the party statute, a committee elected at a special convention is interim. It must hold a regular convention within a year to keep its mandate, following the provision that the party is convening the 15th General Convention. For it, conventions have been held in wards and constituencies across the nation.
Clause 17 of the Nepali Congress statute allows a special general convention if at least 40 per cent of elected convention representatives sign a request. The Election Commission relied on that rule in January when it recognised Thapa’s leadership.
The Thapa side reads the statute to mean that a committee elected at a special convention is interim, and that a regular convention held within a year secures its legitimacy. That puts the outer deadline in mid-December.
The Deuba side disputes the special convention itself. A president must win a majority of valid votes, and a second round is held if nobody crosses that line. The statute amended in January also changed who can be a delegate. A leader now needs a ward recommendation and a constituency election, instead of automatic entry as a central committee member. It reserves at least 21 central committee seats for people under 35 and sets quotas for experts, workers, diaspora, persons with disabilities and minorities. The argument over when to hold the regular convention ran for months before the Gen Z protests of September 2025.
Last October, Deuba handed the acting presidency to Purna Bahadur Khadka. A group led by the then general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma gathered signatures for a special convention, and a request backed by 54.58 per cent of delegates reached party headquarters. Deuba’s side opposed it, arguing that the regular convention timetable was already moving.
The special convention went ahead in January. Hours before it elected Thapa, Deuba’s committee suspended Thapa, Sharma and Farmullah Mansoor. The Election Commission recognised the new leadership on January 16, and the Supreme Court upheld that recognition on April 17.
In August, the court agreed to review its own ruling. Since then, the party has operated as two camps, each running its own process and each claiming the statute.
Upon getting recognition from the Election Commission, the Thapa-led committee issued tickets for the March election. The Deuba side challenged the decision in the Supreme Court. On April 17, a bench upheld the recognition. Deuba and Khadka then asked for a review, and in early August a full bench led by Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma allowed the review petition.
Petitions asking the court to stop the Thapa-led convention were rejected, so preparations went ahead. The review itself is pending. No hearing date had been listed. Each side reads the situation differently.
Deuba’s camp says leadership remains open until a final decision, and argues that proceeding risks contempt. Along with the faction has announced its own 15th General Convention in Kathmandu from December 7 to 9. (ANI)
Nepal’s largest opposition party Nepali Congress votes to elect high-profile officials
