Koirala receives support from faction leaders in bid for party presidency

KATHMANDU: The anti-establishment faction of the Nepali Congress has proposed Dr Shekhar Koirala as its candidate for the position of president in the party’s 15th general convention.

Party Vice President Dhanaraj Gurung proposed Koirala’s name, while General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa seconded it.

The faction held a gathering in Kathmandu on Sunday where they decided to push the agenda of transformation and generational change in the party, according to Gurung.

Gurung and Thapa were elected in the 14th general convention from Koirala’s faction. Koirala, however, was defeated by the incumbent president Sher Bahadur Deuba.

“We should prepare for the 15th convention by presenting Koirala as the next party president. We all should move forward unitedly, there shouldn’t be any room for suspicions,” Gurung said.

Thapa also urged all leaders and cadres of the party to make preparations for the upcoming general convention. He said: “Let’s resolve contentious issues now. We should make the coming days favorable for us.”

Koirala had withdrawn his candidacy in the election for the parliamentary party leader and supported Thapa. NC leaders say that Koirala withdrew from the race after Thapa promised to support him in the 15th general convention of the party.

The anti-establishment faction leaders also discussed the party’s decision to give a vote of confidence to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, as well as the formation of an alliance of opposition parties among other topics.