Thapa calls for unity as Congress battles deadline pressure

KATHMANDU: With the nomination deadline for the upcoming March 5 election fast approaching, Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa has appealed to party leaders and cadres to set aside internal disputes and factional rivalries and unite behind the party’s official candidates.

In a video message released on social media Monday morning, Thapa called on all party members to stand firmly with the candidates endorsed by the party leadership.

He acknowledged that the party is under intense time pressure due to the constitutional requirement to finalize nominations by Tuesday.

Thapa informed that the candidate selection process would be completed within Monday itself, citing the urgency created by the looming deadline. He admitted that decision-making had been delayed because of his efforts to accommodate dissenting factions within the party.

Following the special general convention, the Nepali Congress has appeared sharply divided into three factions—led by Thapa, former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, and leader Shekhar Koirala. The internal power struggle has intensified, with Deuba and Koirala factions even challenging the legitimacy of the special convention in the Supreme Court.

Referring to the legal challenge, Thapa termed it a “legal test” and said he had tried until late Sunday evening to bring all sides on board.

“Even after the Election Commission’s recognition, some of our colleagues have sought legal testing as they remain dissatisfied,” Thapa said in his video message. “I tried to include them as well until last evening, and because of that, we are now facing extreme time pressure.”

Although Thapa reiterated that party statutes mandate candidate selection from the grassroots level, he clarified that the current extraordinary situation has forced the central leadership to take direct control.

“The idea that the center should select candidates is fundamentally wrong,” Thapa said. “But we have arrived at a special circumstance. Recommendations from all 165 constituencies have already come in, yet our hands are tied. Due to time constraints, we were compelled to take decisions centrally.”

Thapa Willing to Allocate Tickets to Deuba Faction—But With a Condition: Withdraw Court Case

As internal rifts continue to deepen, the Nepali Congress has accelerated its candidate selection process amid mounting pressure from the March 5 election deadline.

Top leaders have been locked in decisive talks to finalize ticket distribution by Monday, as the constitutional deadline for filing nominations falls on Tuesday.

The post-convention power struggle between the three factions—led by Gagan Thapa, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Shekhar Koirala—has made consensus increasingly difficult. However, the Thapa-led establishment faction, which has received official recognition from the Election Commission, has placed a firm condition before the other two groups.

The core dispute revolves around the writ petition filed by the Deuba and Koirala factions at the Supreme Court, challenging the legitimacy of the special general convention.

Leaders from the Thapa faction have made it clear that if the rival groups wish to contest the election using tickets signed by Thapa, they must first accept the convention’s legitimacy and withdraw their court case.

“On one hand, they question the chairman’s legitimacy in court, and on the other, they want to contest elections using his signature. This is morally contradictory,” said a leader close to Thapa. “If they want tickets, they must officially recognize the leadership formed through the special convention.”

So far, neither the Deuba nor the Koirala factions have publicly responded to this condition.

Behind-the-scenes negotiations have been ongoing since Sunday night, with second-tier leaders actively trying to bridge the gap. Madhav Acharya and Devaraj Chalise are representing the Thapa faction, Ramesh Lekhak from the Deuba camp, and Minendra Rijal from the Koirala side.

Their meetings, which have continued since Monday morning, are focused on ticket-sharing arrangements and resolving legal complications.

Although consensus on legal and ideological issues remains elusive, leaders have reportedly reached partial agreement on candidate selection criteria. According to sources, priority will be given to incumbent lawmakers and individuals with a clean public image, free from controversy or corruption allegations.

With the nomination deadline just hours away, party leaders are under immense pressure to strike a deal and finalize candidates by Monday evening.