The Nepali Congress is on the verge of a split as the party’s establishment faction, led by President Sher Bahadur Deuba, has decided to expel three office-bearers for five years due to their alleged involvement in the Special General Convention (SGC). The Central Working Committee, largely comprising Deuba loyalists, made the decision to expel General Secretaries Gagan Thapa, Bishwa Prakash Sharma, and Joint General Secretary Farmullah Mansur. The committee also urged other members who strayed from party interests to return to party discipline and engage actively in party work.
The ongoing SGC, aimed at electing a new Central Working Committee, has been a point of contention. Despite failed attempts to resolve internal disputes through talks, the establishment faction proceeded with expelling key office-bearers while the dissident faction continued with plans for new leadership elections. Gagan Thapa, a central figure in the SGC, expressed that the expelled office-bearers would now seek official recognition through the election body due to their majority presence in the SGC.
The rift within the Nepali Congress has raised concerns about its unity ahead of the scheduled House of Representatives elections on March 5. The party has a history of splits, notably in 2002 when then Prime Minister Deuba’s actions led to a fracture within the party. Now, with Deuba at the center of another dispute, the party faces the looming threat of division, reminiscent of past challenges that required subsequent reunifications.
