All but two of the 13 office-bearers elected in the 14th general convention of Nepali Congress (NC) are new.
Sher Bahadur Deuba has been relected president defeating Shekhar Koirala in the runoff. Purna Bahadur Khadka of Deuba panel and Dhan Raj Gurung of the Koirala faction have been elected vice-presidents. Similarly, Gagan Thapa from the Koirala panel and Bishwa Prakash Sharma from that of Prakash Man Singh have been elected general secretaries.
Badri Pandey (backward area) and Jeevan Pariyar (dalit) from the Koirala panel; Dina Upadhyaya (women), Bhishma Raj Angdembe (indigenous ethnicities), Farmullah Mansur (Muslim) and Kishore Singh Rathour (Khas/Arya) from the Deuba faction; and Umakanta Chaudhary (Tharu) close to Krishna Sitaula who contested from Deuba panel as part of the Sitaula faction's alliance with Deuba for president have been elected joint general secretaries.
President Deuba and Vice-president Khadka, who was nominated general secretary by president Deuba after the last general convention, are the only leaders with prior experience as office-bearer to have been elected office-bearer this time.
The executive committee formed after the 13th general convention had six office-bearers including three elected ones and three nominated ones. Deuba (president), Shashank Koirala (general secretary) and Sita Devi Yadav (treasurer) were elected by the general convention while Deuba later nominated Bimalendra Nidhi as vice-president, Khadka as general secretary and Prakash Sharan Mahat as joint general secretary.
Deuba also nominated Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar as vice-president after unification of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Democratic) with NC, and Sunil Bahadur Thapa as joint general secretary after Thapa joined NC from RPP.
Nidhi lost in the election for president, and Mahat and Gachchhadar for vice-president in the 14th general convention.
The grand old party takes important decisions through central committee meetings but meeting of office-bearers meet frequently to discuss important issues and to set agenda to present to the central committee meeting for decision.
NC amended the party statute ahead of the 14th general convention and opted to elect 13 office-bearers leaving only treasurer to be nominated by the president from among elected central committee members. The 14 office-bearers including treasurer and party spokesperson, also nominated by the president from among the office-bearers or central committee member, participate in the meeting of office-bearers.
