Kathmandu. A major political development took place in Nepalese politics, when the country’s oldest party, Nepali Congress, formally split into two for the third time. The long-running talks between party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Vishwa Prakash Sharma could not reach any conclusion, after which the split was decided. In the special conference organized in this sequence, Gagan Thapa was unanimously elected as the new president of Nepali Congress. Gagan Thapa, 49, is seen as a young and reformist face in the party. According to senior leaders, he was the only candidate for the post of President, hence there was no need for formal elections. The differences within the party deepened when Gagan Thapa and Vishwa Prakash Sharma demanded Sher Bahadur Deuba to step down as president and not contest the upcoming parliamentary elections. Both the leaders argued that this step is necessary to respect the sentiments of the Gen-Ji youth who lost their lives during the youth movement in September. Gen-G is considered the generation that has grown up with technology and social media and wants an active role in politics.
This division of Nepali Congress has happened for the third time in the history of the party. Earlier in 1953, the party broke due to differences between Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala and Matrika Prasad Koirala. The party was divided for the second time in 2002 after the House of Representatives was dissolved during the Maoist insurgency. The current rupture is being seen as a major political setback for the party, especially at a time when political instability is already present in the country. Addressing the special conference, Gagan Thapa said that now Nepali Congress needs to change both its face and thinking. He said that the party has been a part of the government which tried to suppress the youth movement under the leadership of KP Sharma Oli, thereby weakening the public trust. According to Thapa, if the party has to regain public confidence, it will have to move forward with new leadership and a new political direction. In response, Sharma said that the special conference has rejected this expulsion and the real party is the one which has the support of the conference. Gagan Thapa claimed that his faction has the support of more than 60 per cent of the delegates and also announced the dissolution of the Deuba-led central committee.
