The race for Nepali Congress president has become a three-way contest. Party president Gagan Kumar Thapa, Shyam Krishna Khadgi and Kishor Singh Rathore filed their nominations on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, for the party's 15th General Convention. Voting is scheduled for October 8. The race had appeared likely to see less competition before Khadgi and Rathore entered.
The three candidates
- Gagan Kumar Thapa: He is the current president. He was elected at the party's special convention in January 2026 and had earlier served as general secretary. He is seeking a new term through this convention.
- Shyam Krishna Khadgi: A Congress leader, he filed first on October 6. He said earlier presidents were chosen through voting and that Thapa should also face an election. He described his candidacy as a step to protect internal democracy.
- Kishor Singh Rathore: He is a former president of the Nepal Students Union and was elected joint general secretary at the 14th General Convention. He announced his bid about a week before nominations. He cited the Gen Z movement and the party's defeat in the March 5, 2026 House of Representatives election. He also said he was preparing for a future presidential contest even if he did not win this time.
At the convention, Thapa presented a political report that admits the party's failures over two decades. It says the party focused too much on positions and power. It proposes restructuring the organization, more youth participation, closer scrutiny of the government and no alliances before elections. Thapa has also said he wants to reduce the gap between leaders who joined the special convention and those who did not.
The dispute with former president Sher Bahadur Deuba is still open. Deuba and his supporters are following a separate convention process with different rules on delegates, nominations and dates.
Bishwo Prakash Sharma has been elected senior vice-president of the Nepali Congress. He was the only candidate for the post at the party's 15th General Convention, so he won without a contest.
Sharma was the sole person to file for senior vice-president when nominations were held on October 6, 2026. Under the party's new structure, the convention is electing a larger leadership team than before. The senior vice-president's post is one of five vice-president posts.
Sharma was a general secretary of the party and, with Gagan Kumar Thapa, led the demand for organizational change that led to the special convention in January 2026. At that convention, Thapa became party president. Sharma has since served as vice-president. At the 15th General Convention, he presented a report on the party's political direction.
Before the vote, Sharma said the convention would not use traditional factional panels. "There will be no panels," he said, adding that delegates would be free to choose candidates one by one.
The convention will elect a wider leadership. The party has expanded its office-bearers from 14 to 25 posts, with five vice-presidents, three general secretaries and 15 joint general secretaries. The president nominates four joint general secretaries and the treasurer. The other 20 are elected.
