KATHMANDU, OCT 10: Gagan Kumar Thapa has been elected president of Nepal’s Nepali Congress, while Bishwa Prakash Sharma has been elected senior vice-president unopposed, marking a major leadership transition in the country’s oldest political party.
Thapa, 50, secured the top post with 6,584 votes during the party’s 15th general convention held on Friday. His rival, Shyam Krishna Khadgi, received 375 votes, according to Election Committee Coordinator Prem Bahadur Khadka.
Another contender, Kishor Singh Rathore, withdrew his nomination before the election.
Sharma was the only candidate for the senior vice-president’s post and was elected unopposed. Pushpa Bhusal, who was the sole candidate for the women’s vice-president position, was also elected unopposed.
Leadership Duo Takes Charge
Thapa and Sharma have long been viewed as prominent younger leaders within the Nepali Congress. Their partnership recalls a remark made by the late Congress leader Pradip Giri in December 2021, ahead of the party’s 14th general convention.
Giri described the two politicians as a “pair of oxen” who should work together to move the party forward, comparing their partnership to two oxen ploughing a field.
With Thapa now elected president and Sharma serving as senior vice-president, the remark has gained renewed political significance.
Over 7,000 Delegates Participate
A total of 7,013 general convention delegates cast their votes in the presidential election, of which 54 ballots were declared invalid.
The general convention will also constitute a 232-member central executive committee, which will oversee the party’s organisational affairs and leadership in the coming years.
