Nepali Congress Splits: Rebel Faction Declares Gagan Thapa President Amid Election Turmoil

• The Nepali Congress (NC) has split into two factions weeks before parliamentary elections, following failed negotiations between the Gagan Thapa-Bishwo Prakash Sharma and Sher Bahadur Deuba groups.
• The Thapa-Sharma faction claims 60% of NC's national delegates elected Gagan Thapa as President, Bishwo Prakash Sharma and Guru Ghimire as General Secretaries, and Farmullah Mansoor as Vice Chairman.
• Both factions assert themselves as the 'real' party, leading the dispute to the Election Commission and likely the Supreme Court.
• The Deuba faction has called a central working committee meeting to take disciplinary action against Thapa and Sharma, including stripping them of party membership.
• Dissent against Deuba's leadership had been growing due to his decision to join a coalition with then-PM Oli's CPN-UML, which was later overthrown by youth-led protests.

Why It Matters: Nepali Congress splits into two factions, with rebels declaring Gagan Thapa president, escalating political uncertainty.