The Supreme Court of Nepal stands poised to untangle a messy leadership duel within the Nepali Congress, pitting veteran Sher Bahadur Deuba against rising star Gagan Thapa. After the Election Commission backed Thapa’s team, Deuba’s group is set to counterpunch legally, targeting a swift overturn.
The flashpoint: a special general convention under Thapa that elected a new central committee without Deuba’s blessing, which the commission validated Friday. Both claimants lobbied hard, but Deuba’s Saturday strategy session greenlit acting head Purna Bahadur Khadka for an urgent Supreme Court filing, decrying the move as illegal and evidence-blind.
Thapa’s side, undeterred, gathered to stress cohesion pre-March 5 elections, per spokesperson Devraj Chalise. They’re pitching Deuba a mentorship slot to heal rifts and sharpen electoral focus.
Crunch time looms with FPTP nominations due January 20 for 165 of parliament’s 275 seats—PR’s 110 already filed. A no-stay scenario hands Thapa the keys, dooming Deuba’s slate and fracturing the party’s machinery.
Beyond personalities, this saga probes deeper questions of party governance and electoral oversight in Nepal’s volatile democracy. Legal scholars anticipate rigorous scrutiny of bylaws and precedents. The court’s gavel could restore order or ignite further chaos, with ripple effects on coalition-building and opposition strength. As polls near, unity pleas ring hollow amid courtroom drama—Nepal awaits a defining judgment.