During the party’s Central Working Committee meeting on Friday, most central members expressed opposition to President Gagan Thapa’s resignation, according to Vice President Pushpa Bhusal. She stated that, along with Thapa’s resignation, Vice President Bishwprakash Sharma also submitted a proposal during the meeting to reject the resignation. “All central members voiced the opinion that he should not resign by shirking responsibilities to be carried in the future,” she said, “The majority felt it was inappropriate to resign considering the party’s future.”
The party began discussions on Friday regarding the recent election defeat and the issue of President Thapa’s resignation. Following the defeat suffered by Thapa and other party officials in the House of Representatives election, he tendered his resignation. In the 275-member House election, the Congress secured a total of 38 seats under both the direct and proportional representation systems.
Congress spokesperson Chalise stated that the issue of the president’s resignation would be the first topic of discussion, followed by other matters in sequence. “The meeting will continue,” he added, “Everyone has understood the party’s needs. All committee members are responsible for deciding who should lead, the future path, and how to organize the general convention.” President Thapa was absent at the start of the meeting.
As the first party meeting after the election commenced, some leaders aligned with former President Sher Bahadur Deuba expressed dissatisfaction with the recently held special general convention near the election and stated that Thapa’s resignation alone would not solve the problem. “Parliament will now function, and the government will get a 100-day ‘honeymoon’ period; during that time, we must seize the opportunity for party unity,” said Meen Bishwakarma, a leader from the Deuba faction.
To review the election defeat, the party has instructed its subordinate committees and candidates to submit detailed reports analyzing the causes of defeat. With the rise of popularity for the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), some within Congress consider ‘internal betrayal’ as a catalyst for the election outcome. Additionally, reports recommending disciplinary action from district levels have also been received. Party spokesperson Chalise indicated that during the election period, some members “crossed the limits of discipline.” However, Bishwakarma from the Deuba faction remarked, “Change sentiments exist within the party, so anything can happen.” Both factions have emphasized the need for self-assessment and improvement to rectify past mistakes and weaknesses.
