Choice before the Congress

The time has come for the Nepali Congress to think beyond Sher Bahadur Deuba and his coterie.

The leaders of the rival Shekhar Koirala-Gagan Thapa camp in the Nepali Congress face a central dilemma: Do they give continuity to their campaign to breathe new life into the party or not? In other words, will their interests be best served by further strengthening the rival camp or hedging their bets? The reason for this dilemma is the upcoming election for the country’s President, which will probably be held sometime in mid-February. There are two schools of thought. The first sees no alternative to strengthening the rival camp. In this thinking, Gagan Thapa is sure to lead the party after the next general convention (with Deuba being barred from contesting the party presidency again). If not Thapa, the party will be led by Shekhar Koirala. With the future on their side, even the leaders who are now close to the establishment will eventually coalesce around the rival camp. Deuba, in this reckoning, is past tense for the Congress, while the Koirala-Thapa camp represents the future.