Gagan Thapa Resigns as Nepali Congress President: What Happens Next?
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Gagan Thapa, President of Nepali Congress, has submitted his resignation to party Vice President Bishwaprakash Sharma, confirmed by Nepali Congress Co-General Secretary Prakash Rasaily Snehi on Wednesday.
“The party’s central committee has received the resignation letter of the president. It is now within the central committee’s jurisdiction to accept or reject this resignation,” Rasaily stated.
Thapa was elected president at the special general convention held in the last week of Poush (mid-January). However, reports had surfaced that he was considering resigning after his defeat contesting the Sarlahi-4 constituency during candidate distribution and the election.
Many inside and outside the party believe that he should take moral responsibility for the Nepali Congress’s heavy defeat in the general election.
Under his leadership, the Congress became the second-largest party following the Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswapa) in the election.
Party leaders and workers have debated on social media whether Thapa should resign, with varying opinions. The general public and experts are also divided on this matter.
Some within the Congress argue that the party’s weakening cannot be attributed to just one individual.
In the previous election, Congress was the largest party but currently holds only 38 seats in the House of Representatives, creating a gap of 144 seats with Raswapa.
Following this election, the traditional main parties have become significantly weaker, and Thapa is the first party leader to step down.
Authority of the Central Committee
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Party spokesperson Devaraj Chalise said that they can provide clear information about the resignation only if it is proposed as a formal agenda in the party’s central committee meeting.
“According to party rules, if a president needs to resign, the resignation must be submitted to the vice president, and the central working committee has the power to approve or reject it,” he explained.
“I am not aware if a resignation has been officially registered. If it has been submitted to the vice president, a formal decision will be made at Friday’s meeting.”
Acting party General Secretary Krishna Prasad Dulal also stated that he has no formal or informal information regarding the resignation.
“On Wednesday afternoon, there was a lengthy discussion with the president regarding preparations for the central committee meeting, but neither then nor until now have I received any information about the resignation,” he said.
Process
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If the central president wishes to resign, his resignation must be submitted to the central working committee through the vice president.
Once the central working committee accepts the resignation, the vice president will assume the role of acting president. The party’s constitution mandates calling a special central general convention within six months to elect a new president.
Regarding the special general convention, the Election Commission had granted official authority to Gagan Thapa’s faction.
However, the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction has taken this decision to the Supreme Court, and the verdict is still pending while Thapa has submitted his resignation.