Congress split as Election Commission recognises Thapa-led faction

Kathmandu: With the Election Commission (EC) recognising the special convention faction of the Nepali Congress, the legal dispute in Nepal’s grand old party is over, at least for now.

The EC late on Friday validated the claim made by the special convention group that the new working committee be recognised.

The special convention on Thursday elected Gagan Thapa as party president and a new committee. The establishment faction, led by Sher Bahadur Deuba — who was elected party president at the 2021 convention — had presented competing claims before the EC.

The Thapa faction had moved ahead with the special convention after the establishment side refused to heed their call for reforms. The dissident group in October had filed a petition, with the signatures of more than 54 percent of representatives, demanding a special convention.

As per the Congress statute, if 40 percent of delegates demand a special convention, it must be mandatorily held within three months of such a demand. Instead of agreeing to the demand, the Deuba group extended the central committee’s tenure and scheduled a regular convention for mid-May, prompting the Thapa group to push ahead with a special convention.

The EC on Friday said that the special convention had been held as mandated by the party statute, and that Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma — who were elected general secretaries at the last convention — were within their rights to call the special convention.

The EC also noted that since general convention representatives are the ultimate authority, their decisions are binding.

With the Thapa faction recognised, the Nepali Congress now stands officially split. There is no legal barrier for the Deuba faction to remain within the party under the new leadership, or it is free to register a new party.

The Congress standoff, which had been brewing for some time — especially after the September Gen Z protests — reached a tipping point just ahead of the January 20 deadline for filing nominations for direct elections for the national polls scheduled for March 5.

The Deuba faction has expressed its dissatisfaction with the EC’s decision. It can challenge the EC decision at the Supreme Court if it wishes to.