Nepali Congress splits as establishment expels Thapa, Sharma

Kathmandu: The long-running internal struggle within the Nepali Congress reached a critical point on Wednesday, with the party effectively splitting after the establishment faction decided to expel Gagan Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma. Attempts to find a middle ground on Tuesday and Wednesday failed after party President Sher Bahadur Deuba refused to step aside.

A meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) then decided to expel Thapa, Sharma, and Farmulla Mansur for five years, calling it disciplinary action for organising a special general convention. The move pushed the party into a formal split after months of internal tension. The legitimacy of the CWC’s decision, however, remains contested.

The ongoing special convention, convened at the call of Thapa and Sharma, had already proposed dissolving the Deuba-led CWC, arguing that its mandate expired in December. The special convention was called after around 54 percent of delegates from the party’s last general convention, held in December 2021, demanded it. Under the Nepali Congress statute, a special convention becomes mandatory if more than 40 percent of delegates make such a demand. An application to this effect was submitted in October, but the Deuba-led establishment faction declined to act on it.

Instead, the CWC, where Deuba holds a majority, extended its term and scheduled a regular convention for mid-May. This prompted the Thapa–Sharma camp to move ahead with the special convention. Deuba has maintained that Thapa and Sharma, who were elected general secretaries at the 2021 general convention, violated party statutes by organising the special convention.

After talks between Deuba and the Thapa–Sharma duo failed on Wednesday morning, the CWC moved ahead with their expulsion. Even as the CWC met at the party headquarters in Sanepa, the special convention at Bhrikuti Mandap advanced the election process to choose new leadership. With Thapa the sole candidate for party president, his election appears assured. The developments have raised a key question: which faction will be recognised as the legitimate Nepali Congress by the Election Commission (EC), which has already moved forward with preparations for the March 5 elections.

Both factions have approached the EC, staking competing claims. The special convention group submitted a letter to the EC on Tuesday, claiming the support of more than 60 percent of delegates and stating that the leadership election process is already underway. The Deuba faction, meanwhile, informed the EC about the expulsion of Thapa, Sharma, and Mansur.

If the EC recognises the special convention, the Deuba faction is expected to challenge the decision in court. If it rejects the convention, the Thapa–Sharma group is likely to do the same. Control over the party flag and election symbol now hangs in the balance. Nominations of candidates for the direct election are due on January 20. With rival factions asserting authority over different party structures, the Nepali Congress stands divided just weeks ahead of national elections — a development that could reshape Nepal’s political landscape.