March 21, Kathmandu – Nepali Congress leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala has attributed his party’s defeat in the recent House of Representatives election primarily to ‘swing votes.’ Speaking at the 18th Annual General Meeting of the VP Smriti Community Cooperative Hospital in Kathmandu on Saturday, he elaborated on this perspective. Koirala claimed that voters did not abandon the party outright but rather shifted their votes temporarily, and emphasized the importance of preventing such vote shifts in the future.
He identified the party’s weakened presence in parliament as largely due to a failure to understand public sentiment and the emerging political ‘storm.’ “Many wonder how we lost, what was done wrong,” Koirala said. “But it may be that such storms and political upheavals came, which we failed to comprehend.” He stressed that the next political battle will not be against leftists but against ‘liberal democrats,’ underscoring the need to strengthen the organization accordingly.
“Previously, our main contest was against the left, which was straightforward. Now, the battle is with liberal democrats,” he stated. “In this struggle, I believe we must not fall behind. We have the organization and the capability.” Koirala also recalled that from the beginning, the Central Working Committee had insisted on convening a special convention.
Regarding the special convention’s election of Gagan Thapa as party chairperson, he noted that the Supreme Court case filed by Sher Bahadur Deuba and Purna Bahadur Khadka remains pending a final verdict. Regardless of the court’s decision, Koirala reaffirmed his commitment to uniting the party. “The resolution of the case will begin tomorrow. I cannot say how long it will take,” he said. “But my final effort will be to consolidate Nepali Congress and bring everyone together.”
