Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Pradeep Paudel has been reelected general secretary of the Nepali Congress (NC) at the party’s 15th General Convention, while Guru Ghimire, who had spearheaded the campaign for a special convention last year, suffered defeat.
Paudel and Uday Shumsher Rana were elected general secretaries under the open category, securing 4,194 and 2,330 votes, respectively.
Ghimire, who received 1,513 votes, had become general secretary through the party’s special convention held earlier this year. He failed to retain the position in the regular convention.
Ghimire, previously considered close to Shekhar Koirala, began advocating for a special convention following the Gen Z movement last year. Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma subsequently joined the campaign, and Ghimire became part of Thapa’s panel during the special convention.
Most office-bearers elected through the special convention secured their positions again in the regular convention, but Ghimire was among those who lost.
Party leaders said the presence of two general secretary candidates from Morang district, Ghimire’s home district, may have affected his chances. Sunil Kumar Sharma, also from Morang, contested the general secretary position but was defeated as well.
Sharma received 2,257 votes, while other general secretary candidates Nain Singh Mahar, Amar Singh Pun and Shankar Tiwari received 1,134, 1,125 and 123 votes, respectively.
Accepting the defeat, Ghimire said he viewed the 1,513 votes he received not merely as a number but as a reflection of trust and confidence and a source of inspiration for his future political journey.
“Victory and defeat are natural processes in a democracy. I am committed to moving forward with my political journey from a new starting point without being discouraged by this result,” he said in a statement. “This is not the end but a new beginning.”
He said politics should now move forward with different thinking, styles and values, adding that integrity, ideas, dialogue, honesty and party transformation should form its foundations.
Ghimire also congratulated the newly elected vice-presidents and general secretaries, saying he would remain active in efforts to make the party more dynamic, democratic and accountable to the public.
