Nepali Congress Party Splits as Gagan Thapa Elected President Amid Factional Dispute

The Nepali Congress party experienced a formal split ahead of the March elections after failed negotiations between factions led by General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwo Prakash Sharma and party president Sher Bahadur Deuba. Thapa was unanimously elected party president at a Special General Convention held despite Deuba's opposition. Deuba's faction expelled Thapa, Sharma, and another leader, but the dissident group rejected this move, emphasizing a need for party renewal and youth representation ahead of elections.