There are positive signs that former Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba, former acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka, leader Shekhar Koirala and leaders aligned with them – who did not participate in the special general convention – are moving toward resolving internal party differences to participate in the upcoming 15th general convention.
The non-establishment faction, which was preparing to open a contact office by renting a house in Chundevi, Kathmandu, is seeking guarantees for a fair general convention. To this end, they have proposed including 111 leaders in the central committee – even if it requires suspending the relevant article in the party statute – and forming a unity committee.
The Nepali Congress has announced a schedule for its regular 15th general convention to be held in September.
Barring some leaders and workers from the non-establishment faction, most active memberships have already been updated, while the distribution of new memberships continues. The establishment aims to complete the remaining work related to membership distribution by mid-July.
Former president Deuba is currently in Hong Kong for medical treatment.
Since October 14, 2025, Purna Bahadur Khadka has been leading this group. Khadka and Shekhar Koirala have been pressuring the establishment faction to accept various proposals to resolve internal disputes.
General Secretary Gururaj Ghimire recently held separate meetings with top leaders from the non-establishment faction, including Khadka, former general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula, and Koirala, urging them to help maintain party unity.
According to Ghimire, all three leaders emphasized broader party unity while presenting different proposals.
“I held discussions with the leaders focusing on the recent views and activities of the non-establishment faction. Earlier, President Gagan Thapa and Vice-president Bishwa Prakash Sharma had also held talks with leaders. Meanwhile, various proposals such as 5-point and 7-point agendas and responses are still under discussion,” Ghimire said. “I met with Shekhar dai, Krishna dai, and Purna dai. They said that the issue regarding the legitimacy and legality of the leadership from the special general convention has been resolved and they are ready to accept the court’s decision, but they still had some proposals.”
According to Ghimire, they proposed accommodating leaders who did not participate in the special general convention into key party roles and ensuring representation from their group in various to create an environment for a fair general convention.
Party President Gagan Thapa and other leaders from the central committee elected through the special general convention have repeatedly said that the 15th general convention will be held fairly, with participation of all sides in committees related to elections, membership management, among others. Ghimire conveyed the same message during the meetings.
“The responsibility to make the general convention fair lies on our shoulders. Their emphasis, sentiment, and conclusion is on party unity. Their position is that we must include everyone and resolve differences to unite the party,” Ghimire said. “We have taken this positively, but further discussions are necessary between leaders of both sides to give it concrete shape.”
Ghimire said that the party would show flexibility to the extent allowed by the statute to resolve differences.
“The statute doesn’t allow some proposals put forward by them to be accepted or implemented, and we cannot keep amending the statute in our favor. However, I have told the leaders that we are committed to discussing the proposals and reaching a logical conclusion soon,” he added. “I have briefed Vice-president Bishwa Prakash Sharma and President Gagan Thapa on the discussions with the leaders.”
During the meeting with Ghimire, former general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula said that since Purna Bahadur Khadka is leading their group, it would suffice to hold discussions with him on resolving differences within the party. Following this, Ghimire met Khadka on Tuesday.
In that meeting, Khadka presented several proposals. He emphasized including 111 leaders in the central committee, even if it requires suspending relevant provisions of the statute.
“Let’s form a unity committee. The 111 colleagues elected through the 14th general convention who are currently outside the central committee should be included in the central committee. If the statute is an obstacle to that, that article should be suspended,” Ghimire quoted Khadka as saying.
Most leaders close to former president Deuba and Khadka have been advocating for merging the special general convention and the 14th general convention committees. Party President Thapa recently responded at an event in Jhapa that such integration would be against the statute and that he would not do it.
Khadka also sought representation from their faction in the active membership management committee, election committee, and other bodies.
“They have demanded representation in committees related to the general convention, including the election committee. Purna dai said that since active membership renewal was completed by December 25, those who updated should be continued, but arrangements should be made so that those who only renewed can also participate in the 15th general convention,” Ghimire said.
According to Ghimire, after receiving such proposals from the non-establishment leaders, President Thapa has said that he will meet all leaders within a few days. “The president and vice-president have said that they will meet all leaders and take the initiative to bring this matter to a conclusion,” he added.
Recently, Ghimire held discussions with leader Shekhar Koirala in Biratnagar. Koirala appeared somewhat more flexible than Khadka on resolving internal differences.
“Shekhar dai also wants all 111 leaders elected from the 14th general convention who are not in the current central committee to be included,” Ghimire said. “After I explained that the statute does not allow this, he became a bit flexible and proposed forming a high-level mechanism including all sides to carry out general convention-related tasks.”
Koirala also clarified that they are not seeking their share within the party. “We do not want power-sharing. We want representation from all sides to create an environment for a fair general convention,” Ghimire quoted Koirala as saying.
After the Gen Z movement in September last year, discussions on transformation and generational shift began within the Nepali Congress. There were demands to hold a regular general convention by December, which did not happen. Meanwhile, general convention delegates demanded a special general convention. When it became clear that a regular general convention could not be held by January, a special general convention was organized under the leadership of then general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, leading to a new central committee under Thapa’s leadership.
Deuba and Khadka moved the Supreme Court against the special general convention, but their petition was dismissed. In the meantime, President Thapa has already nominated 19 leaders close to Deuba and Koirala as central members.
The party also ran an active membership update campaign from April 14 to June 11. Some leaders and workers from the Deuba-Koirala faction have not updated their membership. However, former joint general secretary Kishor Singh Rathore, who is close to Deuba, recently said that he would update his active membership, creating ripples in the group. Rathore even challenged those with courage to form a new party.
After a special general convention was held in January amid the dispute over a special or regular convention, differences on this issue persist among leaders within the party.
With the 15th general convention scheduled for September and lower-level conventions before that, the challenge for the party under Thapa’s leadership is to immediately resolve internal differences and create an environment for all to participate in the general convention.
