In a dramatic move of internal party conflict, Nepali Congress (NC) has expelled its two influential General Secretaries, Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, from the party's general membership.
The decision was taken during a Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on Wednesday. Along with the General Secretaries, Joint General Secretary Farmullah Mansur has also faced disciplinary action and expulsion.
Reason for expulsion
According to Min Bishwakarma, Chief of the Party’s Publicity Department, the trio was penalized for organizing an "unauthorized" Special General Convention in Kathmandu, defying the standing orders of the NC Central Work Execution Committee.
"Pursuant to Article 22 (2) and Article 34 (8) of the Nepali Congress Statute 2017, they have been expelled from the party, including their general membership, effective immediately," Bishwakarma announced while making the meeting's decisions public.
The disciplinary move comes as a direct response to the Special General Convention currently underway at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu, which began on January 11.
The convention, spearheaded by Thapa and Sharma, has moved into a leadership selection phase. Gagan Thapa has filed his candidacy for the post of Party President. Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Pradip Paudel have filed candidacies for the two General Secretary positions.
Voting for the new leadership is scheduled to begin tonight at 8:00 pm.
Deepening divide
The establishment faction, led by the current party leadership, views the Bhrikuti Mandap gathering as an act of party rebellion. By proceeding with an election for a "new leadership," the rival faction has effectively created a split within the country's largest democratic party.
The expulsion marks one of the most significant internal ruptures in Nepali Congress in recent years, as the party now witnesses a formal divide between the establishment and the reformist youth wing.
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