The Nepali Congress is set to enter the election fray by declaring its president Gagan Kumar Thapa as the future prime ministerial candidate. This is the main agenda of the central working committee meeting to be held at the party headquarters, Sanepa, on Friday.

UML has nominated party chairman KP Sharma Oli and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh senior leader Balendra Shah as the future Prime Minister. There was also a voice in the Central Working Committee led by then President Sher Bahadur Deuba that Thapa should be made the Prime Ministerial candidate. However, a decision could not be made as Deuba was not ready. After the special general convention elected a new Central Working Committee under Thapa's leadership, the Congress is going to declare him the future Prime Minister and start the election, said spokesperson Devraj Chalise.

A campaign has already started in Sarlahi-4, where Thapa has filed his candidacy, saying 'Abke Baad, Gagan Sarkar'. Thapa, who nominated his candidacy through Wares due to delays in ticket distribution, is going to his constituency only after the Central Working Committee meeting on Friday.

The Congress has adopted a strategy to turn the election atmosphere in its favor by proposing Thapa, who has reached the party leadership after a three-decade struggle in active politics, as the Prime Minister. Thapa's identity in politics began as a leader of the Nepali Sangh at Trichandra Campus, when he was studying ISC.

He was elected a member of the Nepali Students' Union in 2051 and became its president two years later. He became the vice-president of the Nepali Students' Union in 2057 and the general secretary in 2059. He was arrested several times on charges of sedition during the student movement that took place while he was the general secretary.

After the then King Gyanendra Shah took power, the Surya Bahadur Thapa-led government arrested the then Nepali Students' Union President Gururaj Ghimire, General Secretary Thapa, and ANRFSWU leader Purushottam Acharya on charges of sedition during the student movement that took place on 1 Poush 2060 against him. They were released from custody 10 days later. 

Gagan gave a speech opposing the monarchy and in favor of the republic at a program organized by civil society on 10 Shrawan 2061. Up until this time, the Congress was not in favor of the republic. Two days after speaking in favor of the republic, which was different from the party's decision, he was arrested on charges of sedition and released three weeks later. At that time, the Nepali Students' Union was on the verge of its tenth general convention.

Thapa had gone straight to Pokhara, the venue of the general convention, after being released from custody. The general convention itself was disrupted when it became apparent that he would become the president of the Nepali Congress. The then party president Girija Prasad Koirala even accused him of being an ‘agent of the court’. At that time, Koirala had said, ‘If you want a republic, the court will suppress it and democracy will also be taken away, so those who raise the voice of the republic are courtiers.’

Gagan also challenged Koirala to confirm the accusation. The convention was broken up after it became clear that the party leadership and the general convention representatives would not agree. Instead, a few months later, Pradeep Poudel was elected as the president of the Nepali Congress with Gagan’s support at the general convention held in Chitwan.

Thapa had been carrying the issue of a republic since 2059. For this, he was intimidated by the party leadership. But at the general convention held in Bhadra, 2062, the Congress withdrew its commitment to accept ‘constitutional monarchy’ from its statute. He was at the forefront of student leaders in the subsequent 2062/63 People's Movement. A photo of him throwing stones at the peace garden during the People's Movement gained a lot of attention.

After the success of the People's Movement, Thapa entered parliament in the 2064 Constituent Assembly elections from the proportional representation side. At that time, he was affiliated with leader Narahari Acharya's Republican Ideological Group. Acharya was the rival of the then President Koirala in the party. While the entire party remained steadfast in favor of the traditional parliamentary system, some leaders like Acharya, Thapa, and Suprabha Ghimire advocated for a form of government with a directly elected executive Prime Minister. They were openly progressive on the issues of inclusivity, federalism, and civil rights. The entire Congress was included in that line. The issue of republicanism established Thapa in national politics.

Thapa was elected as a central member of the party from the 12th general convention held in Asoj 2067. In the 13th General Convention held in Falgun 2072, Narahari Acharya had already joined the establishment party. Thapa contested for the post of General Secretary from the group of leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who was competing with Sushil Koirala. At that time, his father-in-law Arjun Narsingh KC was competing from Deuba. When both father-in-law and son-in-law were defeated, BP-son Shashank Koirala won the post of General Secretary. After this, Thapa's relationship with Sitaula weakened and broke. Thapa stood with leader Shekhar Koirala in the 14th General Convention held in Mangsir 2078. Although Koirala was defeated for the post of President, Gagan was elected as the General Secretary. 

At a time when there was a demand for a new generation in politics after the Gen-G rebellion in Bhadra last year, the special general convention held from 27 to 30 Poush made Thapa the Congress President. A week after the election of the new Central Working Committee led by Thapa, the first meeting is going to be held at the party headquarters in Sanepa on Friday.

Former President Sher Bahadur Deuba's faction has been calling the special general convention illegal and the newly elected central working committee led by Thapa has been holding previous meetings in hotels and party palaces since he did not leave the party's central office in Sanepa. 

Even when distributing tickets for 165 constituencies across the country, the Congress held meetings outside Sanepa and distributed them. After the Election Commission decided to renew the central working committee elected from the special general convention last Friday, the Deuba faction has moved the Supreme Court demanding its annulment. The Thapa-led central working committee meeting has been called in Sanepa after the Supreme Court refused to issue an interim order. 

After the Supreme Court went to the Supreme Court saying that the Election Commission's decision to renew the central working committee elected from the special general convention was against the constitution and law, many leaders of the Deuba faction are contesting the elections on the same ticket signed by Thapa.