Mira Katuwal, who lost her left leg in a bomb blast during the 2074 BS election campaign, is contesting for a central member position at the Nepali Congress, a social-democratic political party in Nepal, at its 15th General Convention, marking a significant turn in her resilient political journey. The convention, which began on Sunday, October 4, 2026, in Kathmandu, is seeing candidates intensify their campaigns for various party posts.
Katuwal was severely injured on Mangsir 13, 2074 BS, when a bomb targeted a jeep carrying Nepali Congress candidate Narayan Bahadur Karki in Danwarbesi, Udayapur district, Koshi Province. The blast necessitated the amputation of her left leg below the knee. The jeep driver, Rajan Karki, was also seriously injured. Katuwal views the incident not merely as an accident but as “blood shed for the nation and an organ donated to the party,” according to Online Khabar. After extensive treatment and learning to walk with a prosthetic leg, she remained active in politics, driven by a desire to inspire others.
A graduate in Education from Udayashree Multipurpose Campus, Katari, and with a Master’s in Political Science from Padmaknya Campus, Katuwal’s political activism began early. She served as a regional representative for the 13th General Convention, a delegate for the 14th and 15th General Conventions, and a central member of Nepal Student Union (Nevisangh), the student wing of the Nepali Congress, for two terms. Hailing from Bahunitar, Udaipurgadhi Rural Municipality-1, Udaipur district, Koshi Province, Katuwal was drawn to politics by social discrimination, particularly the disparity in educational opportunities for boys and girls. She aims to prioritize issues concerning women, youth, education, and social inequality within the party. She is currently running for a central member position in the under-35 youth women’s group from Koshi Province.
The Nepali Congress’s 15th General Convention, which started on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at Khulamanch in Kathmandu, is set to conclude on Thursday, October 8, 2026. It involves 7,114 delegates from across the country. The party has expanded its central working committee from 167 to 297 members and increased the number of office bearers from 14 to 26. For the party president post, Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa, Kishore Singh Rathor, and Shyamkrishna Khadgi are competing. A total of 79 candidacies have been filed for 19 office-bearer positions. Candidates are actively campaigning at the National City Hall (Rashtriya Sabha Griha), using various methods including posters, robots, and chimpanzee costume characters to engage with delegates, according to Khabarhub and Shilapatra.
The Nepali Congress is also seeking strategies to regain its lost influence in Madhesh Province. In the 2048 BS general election, the party won 29 out of 37 constituencies in the eight districts of Madhesh (then the Terai region), securing about 80% of the seats. However, in the 2082 BS elections, the party managed to win only one out of 32 seats in Madhesh. This decline is attributed to the aftermath of the Madhesh movements, leadership weaknesses, and the emergence of new political attractions. The convention is expected to review these issues, with 1,256 delegates from Madhesh Province participating in discussions at the Terai-Madhesh Hall.
The deadline for withdrawing candidacies, making corrections, and filing objections was Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 2:00 PM. Voting is scheduled for Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the National City Hall (Rashtriya Sabha Griha), Khulamanch, and Pragya Bhawan. The election committee stated that vote counting will commence after the polling concludes. Discussions are also planned on the political report presented by Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa, proposals on party statutes and operations by General Secretary Pradip Paudel, and contemporary proposals by Vice President Bishwaprakash Sharma.
The current roles of Narayan Bahadur Karki and Rajan Karki remain unclear. Further details regarding who was responsible for the 2074 BS bomb blast and whether any action was taken are not yet known. The outcomes of the discussions on the presented reports and the specific strategies for the party’s future direction, particularly regarding regaining influence in Madhesh, are also pending.
