Nepal's Nepali Congress, once the country's dominant democratic force, is visibly fractured as two rival factions prepare to hold separate general conventions — the first organised by party President Gagan Kumar Thapa in Kathmandu on Sunday, 4 October 2026, and the second scheduled by former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's faction from 7 to 9 December. The parallel conventions underscore a deepening internal crisis that has already cost the party electorally and is now testing its organisational survival.

Two Conventions, One Party

The Thapa-led faction is conducting what it calls the party's 15th General Convention, building on a special general convention held in January this year that removed Deuba as party president and elevated Thapa to the top post. That special convention remains legally contested — the Supreme Court is currently reviewing the legality of Deuba's removal. Nevertheless, the Election Commission of Nepal recognised the Thapa-led faction ahead of the March 5 elections, allowing it to field candidates under the party banner.

Deuba, though invited to inaugurate the 15th General Convention, was notably absent from Sunday's inaugural session. Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), or CPN-UML, also skipped the event, even as leaders from several other parties attended.

Electoral Collapse and Leadership Crisis

The March elections proved devastating for established parties. The newly emerged Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) became the largest political force, securing 182 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives — approaching a two-thirds majority. The Nepali Congress managed only 37 seats, while the CPN-UML won 25. Former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's Nepali Communist Party also suffered losses.

Thapa himself suffered a crushing personal defeat, losing in the Saptari-4 constituency to an RSP candidate. The loss has deepened questions about his standing and fuelled discontent within rival factions of the party.

What Thapa Said at the Convention

Speaking at Sunday's inaugural session — where he is widely expected to contest for the party presidency again — Thapa acknowledged the party's failures and called for a fundamental reset. “The party that can answer citizens’ questions is the new one. The party that can work with citizens is the new one,” he said.

He argued that the Nepali Congress must overhaul its working methods, language, thinking, and political culture while remaining anchored to the values of its founding leaders, BP Koirala and Ganesh Man Singh. On the question of reunification, he said efforts were underway to bring Deuba back into a unified party structure, adding: “Honouring Sher Bahadur Deuba is not about how many times you salute at his doorstep; it is about how much you have strengthened and elevated the party he built.”

RSP and Opposition Voices Weigh In

Rabi Lamichhane, president of the ruling RSP, said many Nepali Congress supporters had switched to his party, noting that several RSP leaders had previously been associated with the Congress. He suggested that a lack of space for younger leaders within the Congress had driven many of them — and potentially himself — towards forming or joining new political forces.

Former Prime Minister Dahal urged the Thapa faction to pursue unity: “Let all Nepali Congress leaders and cadres be united and brought together to build a formidable force,” he said, adding a wish for success in reconciliation efforts.

Reform Agenda and What Comes Next

This convention carries an unusually sharp reform agenda. The party has adopted a statutory provision ensuring representation of people under 35 in its leadership structure — a direct response to last year's Gen Z-led protests that reshaped Nepal's political landscape and brought Prime Minister Balendra Shah to power. The party statute also guarantees a minimum one-third representation for women and greater inclusion of marginalised and minority communities in the Central Working Committee.

Slogans like “The Congress has changed, we will change the country” and “Congress 2.0” have been deployed to signal a generational shift. Whether the two factions can reconcile before the upcoming local elections — expected early next year — will be a decisive test of whether the rebranding is substance or slogan.