Gagan Thapa has been re-elected president of the Nepali Congress with a decisive majority at the party’s 15th general convention, strengthening his position amid an ongoing leadership dispute. Thapa secured 6,584 votes, while his rival, Shyam Krishna Khadgi, received 375 votes, according to the party’s Central Election Committee. A total of 7,013 votes were cast in the election, of which 54 were declared invalid. The result was announced on October 10, marking another significant development in the country’s oldest major democratic party.

Thapa’s re-election comes as the Nepali Congress continues to face divisions over its leadership and organisational direction. A rival faction led by former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is preparing to hold a separate general convention from December 7 to 9. The dispute follows a special general convention organised by Thapa’s supporters in January, which removed Deuba from the party presidency and elevated Thapa to the position. The rival camp disputes the legitimacy of that process and maintains that its leadership represents the party.

The leadership dispute has also involved legal and institutional questions. Nepal’s Election Commission recognised the Thapa-led faction ahead of the March 5 parliamentary elections, allowing it to contest the polls under the Nepali Congress name. However, the rival faction’s challenge to the leadership change has kept the possibility of a formal party split alive. The Supreme Court is reviewing the dispute, leaving uncertainty over whether the two camps can reach an agreement or continue with separate organisational processes.

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The party’s internal turmoil comes after a major electoral setback in the March parliamentary elections. The Nepali Congress finished well behind the newly emerged Rastriya Swatantra Party, which secured a commanding position in the 275-member House of Representatives. Thapa himself lost his constituency, adding to the challenges facing his leadership. The result intensified calls for organisational reform, greater youth participation and a reassessment of the party’s political strategy following years of dominance by established political figures.

Thapa, 50, rose to national prominence during Nepal’s 2006 people’s movement, when he campaigned against the monarchy and advocated the establishment of a republic. He later entered the Constituent Assembly and won parliamentary elections from Kathmandu-4 in 2013, retaining the constituency in 2017 and 2022. He was elected general secretary of the Nepali Congress in 2021 and subsequently challenged Deuba for leadership of the party’s parliamentary group, although that attempt was unsuccessful.

Thapa and senior vice-president Bishwa Prakash Sharma are now seeking to reshape the party by bringing younger leaders into its organisational structure and promoting changes in its working methods. However, the rival convention planned by Deuba’s faction presents a major challenge to those efforts. The outcome of the leadership dispute could influence the party’s unity, political credibility and prospects in future elections, as the Nepali Congress attempts to recover from its recent electoral defeat.

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