Deuba Faction Gears Up for Central Committee Meeting

Following the completion of meetings across all seven provinces, the faction outside the Nepali Congress’s founding group has accelerated preparations to convene a central committee meeting. The Gandaki Province meeting urged the leadership to seek a resolution through this meeting if disputes remain unresolved by 15 Jestha 2083 (May 29, 2026). Despite the Supreme Court dismissing a petition challenging the party’s official status, internal disagreements and factional activities within Nepali Congress persist. Kathmandu, Jestha 13 (May 26): After the special general convention, conflicts between the founding and non-founding groups have intensified. As part of their plans to increase pressure on party president Gagan Thapa to foster unity, the non-founding faction is preparing for a central committee meeting.

Sources indicate that leaders allied with outgoing president Sher Bahadur Deuba are preparing to summon the central committee meeting following the conclusion of federal-level gatherings. According to these sources, internal discussions are ongoing among leaders to hold a national assembly after the provincial meetings to make decisions in line with the assembly’s mandate. “Deliberations are underway to call the central committee meeting,” said a leader elected as central member from Deuba’s home province of Sudurpashchim during the 14th general convention. “We plan to hold it similarly to a special general convention and proceed to elections.” A trusted associate of former Prime Minister Deuba confirmed the preparation to call the central committee meeting once all seven provincial gatherings conclude.

“After the remaining three provincial meetings are completed, representatives of the general convention and central committee members will convene,” the leader added. Faction leaders outside the founding group also claim they are preparing to convene a general convention following the central committee meeting, a claim that some insiders have acknowledged with reservations. “It depends on numbers. If we have the majority, the process will advance,” he explained. The Gandaki Province-level faction aligned with Deuba has already decided that if no resolution is reached by Jestha 15, they will call the central committee to seek a solution.

The press release issued after the meeting stated, “If leaders fail to find a way forward by Jestha 15, 2083, a central committee meeting will be convened to find a solution.” The meeting also resolved to urge President Thapa, outgoing acting president Purna Bahadur Khadka, Dr. Shekhar Koirala, and others not to delay intimate dialogue among leaders and to send a message of unity. The Gandaki Province meeting concluded that the major reasons for the Nepali Congress’s poor performance in the general elections held on 21 Falgun (March 4, 2026) were the lack of consensus among leaders during the special general convention and candidate selection process.