Nepal’s Top Court Clears the Path for Nepali Congress Convention, But the Party Rift Is Far From Over

Nepal’s Supreme Court has removed a major legal obstacle to the Nepali Congress holding its 15th General Convention, handing the Gagan Thapa camp a political lift while leaving Sher Bahadur Deuba’s faction frustrated. The ruling gives the party room to move ahead with its convention plans, but it also appears to have sharpened the internal power struggle rather than settled it.

The court refused to issue an interim order to stop the convention process, saying there was no immediate legal basis to suspend it. That means the party can continue preparing for its convention, even as the broader dispute over legitimacy and leadership continues to hang over the organization.

What the court decided

The Supreme Court declined to block the Nepali Congress from proceeding with its 15th General Convention, effectively allowing the schedule to stand for now. The decision is a clear win for leaders pushing to keep the process moving, especially those aligned with Gagan Thapa.

For the Deuba camp, the outcome is much less favorable. Former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and his allies had sought to pause the convention until the court fully resolved the dispute over the party’s leadership structure. That argument did not prevail at this stage.

A boost for Gagan Thapa

Thapa’s supporters are likely to see the ruling as validation of their push to press ahead with the convention. The decision gives their faction legal breathing room and strengthens its hand in the ongoing battle over who should shape the party’s future.

Still, the victory is procedural rather than final. The court has not fully resolved the underlying dispute, which means the leadership fight remains active and politically charged.

Deuba’s camp loses ground, but not the war

For Deuba and his allies, the ruling is a setback, but not necessarily the end of the road. The party’s internal conflict has already moved through multiple legal and political stages, and the latest decision adds another layer to a dispute that has repeatedly spilled out of party rooms and into the courts.

The Deuba faction has argued that the convention should not go forward until the question of legitimate leadership is settled. With the court refusing to halt the process, that strategy has been weakened for now.

Why this matters for Nepali Congress

The Nepali Congress is one of Nepal’s most influential political parties, so a leadership crisis inside it has consequences well beyond party procedure. A convention fight of this scale can reshape alliances, influence candidate selection, and determine which faction controls the party’s political direction.

What makes this moment especially tense is that the legal clarity on the convention has not translated into political unity. If anything, the court’s decision appears to have deepened mistrust between the rival camps.

The bigger picture

The party now faces a difficult reality: it can move ahead with its convention, but it cannot pretend the internal dispute has disappeared. The court has opened the door, yet the battle for control inside the Nepali Congress is still very much alive.

In practical terms, that means more confrontation, more maneuvering, and likely more legal drama before the party reaches any real resolution.