Sher Bahadur Deuba’s faction of the Nepali Congress says it has held constituency conventions in 112 of Nepal’s 165 federal constituencies, according to a report on 14 October that cited Ekaraj Pokharel, coordinator of the faction’s election committee.
The conventions are part of a separate organisational process that runs alongside the party’s recognised leadership, headed by Gagan Kumar Thapa. They matter because the two sides disagree on which leadership and which rules should govern the party after a special general convention in January elected Thapa president. A count of conventions does not settle that question.
What the faction reports
According to the faction’s figures, conventions are complete in 5,500 of 6,743 wards and in 497 of 753 municipalities and rural municipalities. That leaves 1,243 wards and 256 local governments outstanding. The faction aims to finish the remaining ward, local and constituency conventions by 1 November.
District conventions are scheduled for 1 November and provincial conventions for 20 November. The faction’s central convention is planned for 7–9 December in Kathmandu.
In September, organisers said they had given the faction’s election committee a list of 783,836 active members.
How the dispute developed
The special general convention in January 2026 elected Gagan Kumar Thapa party president.
The Election Commission then recognised the resulting leadership, while Deuba’s camp rejected that decision. On 17 April, the Supreme Court upheld the commission’s recognition.
On 6 August, the court agreed to review its earlier ruling after petitions from Deuba and Purna Bahadur Khadka. The review reopened the legal question but did not by itself remove Thapa’s leadership.
On 27 August, the court refused an interim order the two had sought to stop the Thapa-led convention process. The review remained pending.
After efforts to reach an agreement failed, the Deuba faction announced its own timetable in September, beginning with ward gatherings on 1 October. In October, the Thapa-led side completed its 15th general convention while the Deuba faction continued its parallel process. The Deuba faction argues that the leadership elected at the party’s 14th general convention should organise the next regular convention. Thapa’s side says the special convention and the leadership it produced are legally recognised. The camps also disagree over the party statute and the rules for renewing membership.
Where the legal position stands
The Election Commission’s recognition of the Thapa-led committee remains in force unless a fresh ruling changes it. A pending review is not a ruling that the leadership has been suspended or cancelled. Legal scholar Bipin Adhikari argued in an interview on 5 October that the operative position should come from decisions already in force, not from a possible future judgment.
What comes next
The next dates are 1 November for the faction’s district conventions and its deadline to finish lower-level conventions, 20 November for provincial conventions and 7-9 December for the central convention in Kathmandu. The Supreme Court review remains pending.
