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Nepal Congress President Gagan Thapa Resigns After Party's Election Debacle

Gagan Thapa has resigned as President of the Nepali Congress following the party's severe electoral setback in the recent parliamentary polls. The party secured only 38 seats, a dramatic drop from the 88 it won in the 2022 elections, with Thapa himself losing his constituency. His resignation was submitted to Vice-President Bishwo Prakash Sharma and will be reviewed by the party's Central Working Committee. The election was dominated by the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which achieved an almost two-thirds majority.

Key Points: Gagan Thapa Resigns as Nepal Congress President After Poll Loss

  • Thapa lost his own constituency
  • Party won only 38 seats vs 88 in 2022
  • Resignation submitted to Vice-President
  • RSP swept polls with two-thirds majority
  • Special convention to elect new president within 6 months
3 min read

Bad poll results prompt Nepal Congress President Gagan Thapa to resign

Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa resigns following the party's poor performance in parliamentary elections, where it won only 38 seats.

"The poor result for the party in the recent elections is the main reason he stepped down from his position. - Close aide of Thapa"

Kathmandu, March 19

Gagan Thapa, who was elected president of the Nepali Congress through a controversially-held special general convention in January, has resigned from his post following the party's electoral setback in the recently held parliamentary elections.

Thapa himself suffered a humiliating loss at the hands of Amaresh Kumar Singh of the all-conquering Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in the Sarlahi-4 constituency in Madhesh Province, as his party came a distant second, with a large number of top leaders also facing defeat.

Thapa, who was his party's Prime Ministerial candidate, secured 22,831 votes against the 35,688 votes polled by Singh, becoming part of a long list of heavyweight leaders to have suffered a similar fate.

The Nepali Congress secured a total of 38 seats in the House of Representatives - 18 through direct elections and 20 through the proportional representation system - far fewer than the 88 seats the party won in the 2022 elections. Following the drubbing, a section of Nepali Congress leaders had been calling for Thapa's resignation.

"Thapa tendered his resignation to Vice-President Bishwo Prakash Sharma on Tuesday," a close aide of Thapa told IANS. "The poor result for the party in the recent elections is the main reason he stepped down from his position."

The grand old party had entered the polls with the slogan of "We changed the Nepali Congress, and we will change the country". However, it failed to attract voters as the RSP, led by Rabi Lamichhane and Prime Ministerial aspirant Balendra Shah, swept the polls with an almost two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, the lower house.

As per the party's statute, if the party's central president wishes to resign, the resignation must be submitted to the Central Working Committee through the vice-president. The party's meeting of Central Working Committee is scheduled for Friday.

If the Central Working Committee accepts the resignation, the party vice-president will assume the role of acting president and take charge of responsibilities, and a special general convention will be convened within six months to elect a new central president.

When a special general convention held in Kathmandu this January elected a new Central Working Committee under Thapa's leadership, it was considered a decisive break from the old generation to a new one. Many believed that under Thapa, who was popular among Nepali Congress cadres, the party would perform well in the elections held on March 5.

However, the poor results invited criticism of Thapa and his team, particularly from leaders close to former Prime Minister and former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Thapa, 49, rose to prominence as a student leader during the 2006 people's movement, when his speeches denouncing the monarchy and advocating the establishment of a republic resonated strongly with young people.

Since emerging on the national stage two decades ago, Thapa has remained a widely popular figure within the party and, to a large extent, among the general public. Following the Gen-Z movement in September last year, Thapa teamed up with then general secretary Sharma to call for a special general convention, arguing that the party needed change ahead of the elections scheduled for March this year.

Although Thapa's team took leadership through the forcefully-held special general convention, the party performed poorly in the parliamentary elections held in less than two months after he was elected president.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
Interesting to see a generational shift failing so quickly. The RSP's sweep shows Nepali voters, especially the youth, are tired of traditional parties. Similar sentiments are growing in parts of India too. New parties with fresh faces are gaining ground everywhere.
R
Rahul R
Respect to Gagan Thapa for stepping down gracefully. In our neighbourhood, we rarely see leaders accepting blame for poor performance. He was a popular figure, but maybe the party's internal issues and the "forcefully-held" convention created a weak foundation. Wishing stability for Nepal.
A
Ashley H
From an outside perspective, the drastic drop from 88 to 38 seats is massive. It seems the slogan "We changed the Nepali Congress" was true, but they changed it for the worse! The new party RSP clearly captured the public's imagination. A swift political upheaval.
V
Vikram M
The article mentions his rise during the 2006 movement. Sometimes leaders who are brilliant in opposition struggle with the demands of governance and electoral politics. Two months is a very short time, but in politics, you don't get a long rope. The pressure must have been immense.
K
Kriti O
While taking responsibility is good, I have a respectful criticism. Resigning so quickly after a loss might not always be the best move. It creates instability. Maybe he should have stayed, learned from the defeat, and tried to rebuild. Now the party faces another messy leadership battle.

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