Gagan Kumar Thapa, Shyam Krishna Khadgi, and Kishor Singh Rathore have filed their nominations for the post of Nepali Congress president. The candidacies were submitted on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, ahead of the party’s 15th General Convention election, which is scheduled for October 8.
According to the Central Election Committee, the body overseeing the Nepali Congress’s election process, Khadgi was the first to file his nomination, followed by Gagan Kumar Thapa, the current Nepali Congress president, at approximately 6:30 pm. Kishor Singh Rathore, a former joint general secretary of the Nepali Congress, registered his candidacy after Thapa.
The 15th General Convention of the Nepali Congress, Nepal’s largest, oldest, and ruling political party, commenced on October 4, 2026, at Khulamanch in Kathmandu. The election process for the convention is set for October 7 and 8. The Central Election Committee published the final list of voters on October 6, confirming 7,114 convention representatives.
Expanded Committee and Leadership Vision
The Nepali Congress has significantly expanded its Central Working Committee from 231 to 297 members for the 15th General Convention. While this decision has drawn some criticism, Party President Gagan Thapa argues the expansion is crucial for making the party more inclusive, broadening leadership opportunities, and creating space for traditionally underrepresented groups.
Thapa stated that the new structure aims to integrate more young people, professionals, workers, and Nepalis living abroad into the Central Committee, while also ensuring proportional representation for communities like Dalits, Madhesis, Muslims, and Janajatis. He added that increasing office-bearer positions helps address internal divisions and offers greater opportunities for women and historically underrepresented communities to rise to senior leadership.
The revised party statute assigns specific responsibilities to office-bearers, including a new senior vice president role. Thapa explained this allows the party president to focus more on national politics, public engagement, and the party’s broader direction.
Reforms and Future Direction
President Thapa has outlined several long-term organisational reforms, including ending factional control over candidate selection, implementing a ‘one person, one executive responsibility’ principle, digitising party operations, and eventually enabling ordinary members nationwide to directly elect party leadership. He noted that the absence of factional gatekeeping has led to a large number of candidates for the Central Committee. Thapa confirmed he has not formed a panel and has privately urged some experienced leaders not to contest for office-bearer positions, believing their experience is vital regardless of formal roles.
Historically, the Nepali Congress has seen its influence diminish in Madhesh Province over the past three decades due to the Madhesh movement, federalism, identity-based politics, and the rise of Madhesh-centric parties. Vice President Bishwa Prakash Sharma expressed confidence that the party will emerge stronger and more energetic after the convention, better reflecting the aspirations of the new generation and addressing issues raised by the Madhesh movement.
What’s Next
Voting for the Nepali Congress 15th General Convention will take place on October 8, 2026, from 7 am to 5 pm at the National Assembly Hall, Khulamanch, and Pragya Bhawan in Kathmandu. The exact date for the announcement of election results remains unclear.
Uncertainty persists regarding the ongoing dispute with former president Sher Bahadur Deuba’s faction concerning the legitimacy of Gagan Thapa’s leadership and the overall convention process. It is also not yet clear whether Kishor Singh Rathore will contest the election as part of a panel or as an independent candidate. The outcome of this election is expected to significantly influence the party’s unity and future direction.
