The Nepali Congress was preparing to dive into the national elections. Then-President Sher Bahadur Deuba had also made it clear that the party would participate. There was fierce public anger against established parties, so our entire focus should have been centered on the elections. Many well-wishers had cautioned, "We must participate in the elections now; we shouldn't get entangled in the mess of a general convention." However, Gagan Thapa's group demanded a special convention right before the elections. Even though the establishment faction scheduled the convention for after the elections, no one's voice stood a chance against Gagan Dai's stubbornness.
Special General Convention or a 'Dictatorial' Practice?
The special convention did take place in the first week of January 2026, but it made a mockery of internal democracy within the Congress. Gagan Thapa declared himself the new leadership. He handpicked the office bearers himself. A convention is supposed to be a platform for competition, but comrades who wanted to contest didn't even get the opportunity to run. It was not unnatural for the party ranks to accuse Gagan Dai—who championed rules and statutes yesterday—of becoming a 'dictator' himself after getting power in his hands.
Anomalies and Ticket Distribution that Make One Forget Deuba
We had hoped that after Gagan took over the leadership of the Nepali Congress, some novelty would arrive to address the public's anger. The faces winning the elections now were new, but the amount of maneuvering that occurred during ticket distribution before the Falgun 21 elections made us ashamed. Gagan Thapa exhibited anomalies many times worse than those during Sher Bahadur Deuba's tenure. Sidelining new and popular faces, rumors of him distributing tickets to the same old faces in exchange for money can currently be heard from local tea shops to the party office.
During the election campaign, a piece of satire became highly popular in Congress circles, which clearly exposed the true face of Gagan Thapa's leadership:
"When trying to photocopy Gagan Thapa's photo for the campaign, the photocopy machine printed all the photos of Sher Bahadur Deuba instead!"
This was not just a joke; it was our reality. Although physically Gagan, in terms of tendencies and working style, he has become an exact 'photocopy' of Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Leadership Failure and the Demand for Resignation
Due to these exact wrong decisions, arbitrary tendencies, and financial manipulations during ticket distribution, the Nepali Congress lost the elections miserably. As the president, Gagan Thapa must now take full responsibility for this defeat.
He had once publicly announced that he would retire from politics at the age of 55. Now he has already reached 50. In this rapidly changing political landscape, Gagan Dai too has become 'old'. Congress now needs a newer and truly democratic leadership than him. It is in the party's best interest to give a respectful farewell to a person who is on the verge of retirement. Therefore, to save the party from further collapse, Gagan Thapa must resign immediately on moral grounds.
Lastly, the Nepali Congress must thank Gagan Dai for whatever time and contribution he gave to the party as president, even if for a short period. But Gagan Dai, please pave the way now. Hand over the party to the new generation.
