Editorial photo #13181849 Politics

Nepali Congress General Secretaries- Gagan Thapa And Bishwo Prakash Sharma Lead Special Convention

Gagan Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, addresses the inaugural session of the special convention in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 11, 2026. The two-day event is organized with the active involvement of General Secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma. The acting party president and other senior party members abstain from the opening ceremony, protesting against it. The second special general convention, called by Thapa and Sharma, is held against the backdrop of a deepening intra-party dispute. The establishment faction led by party president Sher Bahadur Deuba opposes the convention, arguing it could split the party, and instead pushes for the regular general convention scheduled for May. Thapa and Sharma maintain that the convention is demanded by 2,488 elected representatives, more than 54 percent of the total. Leaders backing the convention say over 60 percent of elected delegates are participating. The Congress statute has a provision that makes it mandatory for the party leadership to call a special general convention if at least 40 percent of the party's elected general convention representatives demand it. A petition signed by 53 percent of the Nepali Congress general convention representatives is submitted at the party headquarters in mid-October, seeking a special general convention and election of a new leadership. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto)