Kathmandu, Nepal, December 20, 2022: The Nepali Congress (NC) is going to pick its Parliamentary Party (PP) leader on Wednesday morning most likely through a voting process. A meeting of the PP leader election committee held on Monday decided to start the elections from 8 am on Wednesday. As no possibilities seem for the consensual candidate so far, election is likely between the party president and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa.
As the president Bidya Devi Bhandari has set the Sunday deadline to claim the post of Prime Minister with the support of majority two or more than two parties, political parties, particularly the Nepali Congress, are under pressure to pick the PP leaders as only the PP leader automatically becomes Prime Ministerial candidate representing the party.
With the emergence as the largest party in the recently held general election held on November 20, 2022, the Nepali Congress has decided to form a new government under its leadership. A meeting of the Work Execution Committee of the party held on Sunday decided to hold discussions with the parties represent in the parliament to form a new government.
There is a general understanding among the ruling alliance to form a new government. However, ruling parties have been reeling under intra and inter party conflicts regarding the candidate of the Prime Minister. The intra party conflict within the Nepali Congress regarding the candidate of the Prime Minister has led towards the electoral process to elect the PP leader.
Withstanding the situation, the meeting had formed a three-member Election Committee under the leadership of party’s Joint General Secretary Bhishma Raj Angdembe to elect the PP leader. Pushpa Bhusal and Prakash Snehi are the members of the committee.
Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is also the Prime Minister and General Secretary Gagan Thapa are going to vie the election for the P leader representing to the rival factions-establishment and dissident respectively.
Ram Chandra Poudel and Prakash Man Singh had also shown their interests to contest for the post from the establishment faction. Similarly, dissident faction leaders Shekhar Koirala had also been showing interest to contest for the PP leader. As General Secretary Thapa did not bow down from his stance to contest for the post of PP leader, Koirala has left the stance to support to Thapa.
The newly elected 89 lawmakers of the Nepali Congress in the House of Representatives (HoR) are eligible to vote in the election for the post of PP leader.
