Nepali Congress pledges no pre-election alliances in drive for organizational renewal

Proposals aim to dismantle patronage politics, establish a shadow government, and limit the Prime Minister to two terms

President Gagan Thapa, Vice Presidents Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Pushpa Bhusal, and General Secretary Pradeep Paudel attending the Nepali Congress Central Committee meeting. Photo: Gopal Dahal/RSS

KATHMANDU: The Nepali Congress has pledged to fundamentally renounce the politics of factionalism, quota distribution, and patronage. Presenting political and contemporary proposals on Monday, President Gagan Thapa and Vice President Bishwa Prakash Sharma declared that the party would move forward with a new pledge of transformation while honoring tradition.

The closed-door session underway at Khula Manch is taking place across three halls named Himal, Pahad, and Tarai-Madhesh. According to Spokesperson Devraj Chalise, the Himal Hall holds 2,331 delegates, including 1,117 from Koshi Province, 299 from Karnali Province, and 715 from Gandaki Province. The Pahad Hall hosts 2,226 delegates, comprising 1,217 from Bagmati Province and 1,009 from Lumbini Province. The Tarai-Madhesh Hall houses delegates including 1,256 from Madhesh Province, 650 from Sudurpashchim Province, 245 from Public Relations Committees, and 225 from sister organizations.

The political proposal presented by President Thapa encompasses the party’s course of action for the next four years, governance, the overall state of the nation, as well as international relations and perspectives. “Strengthening democratic institutions is the primary challenge for the coming days; the core principles of Nepali Congress remain nationalism, democracy, and socialism,” he says.

The preliminary draft of the new statute also proposes creating additional positions at the ward, constituency, and district levels.

Nepali Congress has put forward a policy prioritizing leadership development and capacity enhancement for candidate selection in upcoming elections. The party expects this to aid in building capable leadership and promoting good governance. The meeting has also moved forward a preliminary draft with suggestions regarding statute amendment. General Secretary Pradeep Paudel is preparing the said proposal.

The proposal submitted by the General Secretary covers how the party will be run, how decision-making processes will move forward, and how responsibilities and structures will be managed across various tiers of the party.

The preliminary draft of the new statute also proposes creating additional positions at the ward, constituency, and district levels. However, Congress Spokesperson Chalise states that this is not a final decision. According to him, the structure released now is merely a preliminary draft. “Discussions are ongoing on the political and organizational proposals. There are pledges to transform Congress and the country while respecting tradition; work will be done to strengthen the organization so that all classes and sections are represented,” says Joint General Secretary Dila Sangraula.

President Gagan Thapa addressing the Nepali Congress Central Committee meeting. Photo: RSS

National renaissance and prosperity

In his political report, Thapa indicated that the renaissance of Nepali Congress will not be limited to leadership changes or organizational reshuffles. He linked the report to issues ranging from political culture, economic policy, the private sector, employment, social security, federalism, good governance, youth participation, technology, climate, to national sovereignty. The core concept of the report is ‘National Renaissance and Prosperity.’

The report aims to acknowledge past mistakes, reduce the distance with citizens, strengthen democratic institutions, enhance production and employment in partnership with the private sector, and translate party policies and commitments into measurable results. Thapa proposed a system to regularly review policies, organization, and programs during the four-year leadership tenure to evaluate leadership based on results, advancing a directional roadmap to restructure Congress from an election-centric organization into a political institution continuously connected with citizens.

The defeat of Nepali Congress in the March 5 election was reviewed as the outcome of growing distance from citizens and political shortcomings over the past two decades .

The report presented by President Thapa acknowledges the achievements of the political movements of 1951, 1990, and 2006, as well as the drafting of the constitution, as historical contributions of Nepali Congress. However, it concludes that as the party became focused on positions and power over purpose during the past two decades, coalition politics, quota distribution, factionalism, and transactional politics weakened Congress’s moral foundation. The report self-critically notes that the tendency to shield individuals from one’s own side in corruption and irregularities weakened the autonomy of public institutions and widened the party’s distance from the younger generation.

President Thapa mentioned that the surge of public discontent on September 8 and 9, 2025, should not be dismissed merely as a ‘conspiracy.’ It notes that demands for good governance, opportunity, and fairness represent legitimate public dissatisfaction. The report, arguing that it is wrong for new political forces alone to claim complete ownership of the movement, proposes an impartial investigation into the state’s use of force, violence, loss of life and property, and suppression.