Kathmandu, October 10 (Daily Kiran) : Gagan Thapa has been re-elected as the president of the Nepali Congress during the party’s 15th convention held in Kathmandu. Thapa won decisively, receiving 6,584 votes, while his opponent, Shyam Krishna Khadgi, garnered only 375 votes. A total of 7,013 votes were cast, but 54 were declared invalid.
Thapa’s victory comes at a challenging time for the party. In the parliamentary elections held on March 5, the Nepali Congress placed second, and Thapa himself lost his seat. The relatively new Rashtriya Swatantra Party emerged as the largest party in the 275-member House of Representatives, securing nearly two-thirds of the seats.
A significant challenge lies ahead for Thapa as a faction led by former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is preparing to hold a separate convention from December 7 to 9. This faction claims to represent the “real” Nepali Congress, raising concerns about a formal split within the party.
The legitimacy of both factions is currently under review by Nepal’s Supreme Court. However, prior to the March elections, the Election Commission recognized Thapa’s faction as the legitimate Nepali Congress, allowing them to participate in the polls.
At 50 years old, Gagan Thapa first gained prominence as a student leader during the 2006 People’s Movement. He became well-known for his impactful speeches against the monarchy and in support of establishing a republic. As president of the Nepal Student Union, he openly opposed the monarchy at a time when the party’s leadership was less vocal about the need for a republic.
Since entering national politics nearly two decades ago, Thapa has remained a popular figure within the party and among the general public. Following the success of the 2006 movement, he was included in the proportional representation list for the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections, marking his entry into the assembly.
The first Constituent Assembly failed to produce a new constitution, prompting new elections in 2013. Thapa contested and won the Kathmandu-4 seat, which he retained in both the 2017 and 2022 elections, solidifying his position in national politics.
Thapa initially ran for the general secretary position during the 13th convention in 2016 but was unsuccessful. However, he won the same position in the 14th convention in 2021. After the 2022 elections, he challenged Deuba for the leadership of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party but lost.
Following the Generation Z movement in September of last year, Thapa intensified pressure on Deuba. He, along with former general secretary Bishwo Prakash Sharma, called for a special convention, emphasizing the need for leadership and organizational changes ahead of the March 2026 elections.
Now, with Thapa as president and Sharma as senior vice president, both leaders are committed to bringing change to the Nepali Congress through youthful energy and new ideas.
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