Nepal's Main Opposition Nepali Congress Holds Vote to Select Senior Party Leaders

Nepal’s main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, began voting on Friday to elect its senior leadership and members of its Central Working Committee, as it seeks to recover from a disappointing performance in the March elections. The leadership contest comes ahead of next year’s local elections, scheduled as the terms of elected local representatives are due to end in 2027. Polling opened on Friday morning, a day later than originally scheduled. Shobhakanta Baral, the senior-most representative at the party’s general convention, cast the first vote. Delegates arrived early at polling centres after waiting in vain for the process to begin on Thursday. Some voters were also eager to complete their participation before returning home for the Dashain festival.

Nepali Congress president Gagan Kumar Thapa, who is seeking to retain the position, said the convention was an opportunity to reorganise the party following its recent electoral setback. Speaking to ANI, he said the party’s immediate priority was to reconnect with voters who had traditionally supported it but turned away in the latest election. Thapa estimated that around one million traditional supporters had stopped voting for the party. He said the leadership intended to address their concerns and rebuild confidence by presenting a renewed political approach that responds to their grievances.

A total of 7,317 eligible convention representatives are participating in the election. The party is choosing its president, vice presidents, general secretaries, joint general secretaries and Central Working Committee members. Following an amendment to its statute, the committee’s strength has been increased to 297 members. The election is taking place against the backdrop of a deep internal dispute that has divided Nepal’s oldest political party into rival camps. The Nepali Congress currently has 38 seats in the House of Representatives, compared with 89 seats in the previous House, which was dissolved before the Gen-Z-led political upheaval.

The current convention is also the party’s first regular national gathering since December 2021. It follows a special convention held in Kathmandu from January 11 to 14, which was convened after more than half of the party’s convention representatives supported a demand for an extraordinary gathering. At that January convention, delegates elected Thapa as party president, replacing Sher Bahadur Deuba. The Election Commission recognised Thapa’s leadership on January 16, and the Supreme Court upheld that recognition on April 17. However, the court agreed in August to review its earlier decision, leaving the leadership dispute unresolved.

The Thapa-led faction maintains that a regular convention must be held within a year of a special convention to establish the elected committee’s continuing mandate. It argues that the ongoing process fulfils this statutory requirement. The faction also secured the authority to issue party tickets for the March election after receiving recognition from the Election Commission.

Deuba’s supporters reject the legitimacy of the January convention and continue to challenge the leadership transition. The former president’s camp has boycotted the current proceedings and announced plans to hold a rival 15th general convention in Kathmandu from December 7 to 9. The disagreement centres on the interpretation of the party constitution, the validity of the special convention and the authority of the leadership while the Supreme Court review remains pending. Although petitions seeking to halt the Thapa-led convention were rejected, the broader legal dispute has yet to reach a final resolution.

Changes to the party statute have added another dimension to the contest. Under the revised rules, convention delegates must receive a recommendation at the ward level and be elected at the constituency level, rather than gaining automatic delegate status through central committee membership. The amended provisions also reserve at least 21 Central Working Committee positions for people under 35 and establish representation provisions for experts, workers, members of the diaspora, persons with disabilities and minority communities.

The roots of the dispute predate the September 2025 Gen-Z protests. In October 2025, Deuba transferred acting presidential responsibilities to Purna Bahadur Khadka. Subsequently, Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, who were then general secretaries, helped gather signatures for a special convention. The demand received support from 54.58 per cent of convention delegates, while Deuba’s faction argued that the regular convention process was already underway.

Before Thapa’s election in January, Deuba’s committee suspended Thapa, Sharma and Farmullah Mansoor. The Election Commission later recognised the new leadership, but Deuba and Khadka challenged the decision. Although the Supreme Court initially upheld the recognition, it subsequently agreed to reconsider the ruling following their review petition. The leadership election is therefore more than a routine organisational exercise. For Thapa’s faction, it represents an effort to consolidate its authority, rebuild the party and regain voters ahead of the next local elections. For Deuba’s supporters, the dispute concerns the legality of the leadership change and the interpretation of the party’s internal rules.

The outcome of the convention could shape the Nepali Congress’s organisational direction and its ability to present a united opposition in Nepal’s changing political landscape. With the Supreme Court review still pending and a rival convention announced, the party’s internal struggle is likely to remain a significant issue in the months ahead.