The man who mastered Nepali politics couldn’t master himself

For six decades, Sher Bahadur Deuba outlasted rivals, outwitted kings, and came back from every political near-death. His final undoing was of his own making.

On December 22, 2024, Sher Bahadur Deuba, then-president of Nepali Congress, was in Biratnagar to attend the party’s Koshi provincial conference. During his address, then-General Secretary Gagan Thapa said, “Our party president does not talk much.”