Nepali Congress Postpones Parliamentary Party Leader Election Amid Internal Disagreements
Kathmandu. The election for the Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader, scheduled for today, has been postponed due to a lack of consensus between President Gagan Thapa and Vice President Bishwa Prakash Sharma.
President Thapa is advocating for either Arjun Narsingh KC or Mohan Acharya to be named the leader, while Vice President Sharma insists on Bhishma Raj Angdembe. Prakash Snehi Rasaili, coordinator of the election committee and joint general secretary of the Congress, announced that the election schedule was deferred to facilitate consensus.
According to Rasaili, a 7-member committee led by Vice President Sharma has been formed to reach a consensus. The committee includes Vice President Pushpa Bhusal, General Secretaries Pradeep Paudel and Guru Ghimire, election coordinator Rasaili, and members Muna Bhusal and Raju Katuwal.
The decision was made during a performance committee meeting at the party's central office in Sanepa. General Secretary Paudel confirmed that efforts to reach a consensus are underway.
General Secretary Paudel stated, 'We have formed a committee to seek consensus. The committee is working to find common ground among the candidates.'
When asked if the postponement was due to a rift between the President and Vice President, Paudel clarified, 'We just passed the new parliamentary party statute today, which emphasizes seeking consensus. The election was deferred to allow for that process, not because of a dispute.'
However, sources indicate that President Thapa remains firm on his candidates, while Vice President Sharma has proposed Angdembe, citing the need for representation from the Janajati community.
Angdembe reportedly has the support of the factions led by former President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Dr. Shekhar Koirala. The committee was formed largely due to President Thapa's insistence, as an election would likely favor Angdembe.
Rasaili reiterated that there is no conflict, but rather a need to manage multiple aspirants. 'We want to send a message of unity,' he told reporters at Singha Durbar.
In the House of Representatives election held on Falgun 21, the Nepali Congress won 38 seats in total—18 through direct election and 20 through proportional representation.
Of these, 16 MPs are aligned with the establishment faction, while 22 are associated with the Deuba and Koirala camps.
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
