KATHMANDU: The Nepali Congress has initiated talks with the faction led by former President Sher Bahadur Deuba, following discussions with centrist leader Shekhar Koirala. In this connection, General Secretary Guru Raj Ghimire met with outgoing Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka and leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula on Tuesday.

Ghimire reached out to Khadka and Sitaula by visiting them at their respective residences. He initiated these talks at a time when the establishment faction has commenced preparations for the 15th General Convention, while the rival faction has refrained from participating in the process due to severe differences. Prior to this, Ghimire had held a meeting with centrist leader Koirala last Friday, June 26.

The establishment faction claims that the meetings with Khadka and Sitaula have broken a long-standing deadlock in communication. “Dialogue has been initiated; everyone is concerned about the party moving forward unitedly in the 15th General Convention,” General Secretary Ghimire states. Although Ghimire’s role as the establishment’s negotiator was expected to defuse the internal strife within the Nepali Congress, no concrete progress has been achieved yet.

During the meetings, Ghimire briefed Khadka and Sitaula on a seven-point proposal put forward by the party. In response, they made it clear that their faction’s stance remains unchanged. While both sides presented their viewpoints, they failed to arrive at a common conclusion. Nevertheless, Ghimire expressed optimism that breaking the prolonged silence is a positive start, believing that internal disputes will gradually move toward a resolution through continuous dialogue.

The Deuba faction has been putting forward conditions demanding the adjustment of the Special General Convention committees alongside the committees elected from the 14th General Convention. Another condition raised by the Deuba group is the removal of the mandatory active membership update provision for memberships already renewed after the 14th General Convention. Furthermore, the Deuba faction demands proportional representation of all factions in the discipline, election, active membership, and scrutiny committees.

Complying with the Deuba group’s conditions regarding the adjustment of all Special General Convention and 14th General Convention committees, as well as the membership update waiver, would violate the party’s statute. The statute passed by the Special General Convention mandates active membership updates. Since the rival faction’s conditions conflict with the statute, Ghimire notes that a political consensus is necessary. “The Special General Convention was disputed as one faction did not participate, but since that has been legally settled, it is now merely a political dispute,” Ghimire says. “There is nothing that cannot be sorted out; we are working toward finding a middle ground.”

Koirala had previously offered a centrist proposal regarding the integration of the committees elected from the Special General Convention and the 14th General Convention. Koirala’s proposal suggests that either both committees should be integrated, or no integration should take place at all. Since the current statute does not permit certain adjustments, Koirala has floated a new proposal to form a political mechanism to successfully conduct the 15th General Convention. “He expressed the view that a political mechanism could resolve all disputes and differences of opinion,” Ghimire remarks.

Koirala has not made any public statements following his meeting with Ghimire. He has remained in Biratnagar since attending a Koshi Province-level joint gathering of the Deuba-Koirala factions on June 14, 2026. Koirala’s personal secretary, Dinesh Chandra Thapaliya, stated, “Brother (Shekhar Koirala) is in Biratnagar, and no discussions have taken place within the team yet. We will hold consultations once he returns.

Khadka-Sitaula’s condition for talks

As General Secretary Ghimire opened the dialogue, Khadka and Sitaula laid down a specific ‘condition’. They stated that President Gagan Thapa himself must become active in leading the negotiations. Ghimire acknowledges that the leaders emphasized that the party leadership needs to pay greater attention to resolving the contentious issues.

Following his meetings with Khadka and Sitaula, Ghimire briefed President Thapa and Vice President Bishwa Prakash Sharma about the discussions. “I have shared the details with both the President and the Vice President. The rival faction stressed that the initiative for talks must come from the President himself, as the responsibility to lead lies on his shoulders. We have received reactions and counter-reactions regarding the seven-point proposal and the rival faction’s demands,” Ghimire says. “We remain hopeful and will practicalize our efforts to find a point of consensus as much as possible.”

Giving a brief reaction after his meeting with General Secretary Ghimire, Sitaula remarked that President Thapa, rather than Ghimire, should be the chief negotiator. “I don’t think much will yield from the General Secretary holding talks; this can only be resolved if the President wishes to do so. We had a conversation with General Secretary Ghimire, but there is no substantial progress to report,” Sitaula says. “Consultations are ongoing within our group, and we have not yet decided on our future course of action.”

The Special General Convention of the Nepali Congress concluded on January 11, 2026. The Special General Convention elected a new leadership and dissolved the Central Working Committee led by the then-President Sher Bahadur Deuba. Neither the Deuba nor the Koirala factions had participated in that Special General Convention. Following the conclusion of the Special General Convention, the dispute over the party’s official legitimacy reached the Election Commission. On January 16, 2026, the Election Commission recognized the leadership led by Thapa as the official establishment. Subsequently, the rival faction moved the Supreme Court challenging the decision. On April 17, 2026, the Supreme Court delivered its verdict, ruling that the committee elected from the Special General Convention is the legally official Nepali Congress.

After the legitimacy dispute was legally settled, President Thapa reached out to the leaders of the rival faction. In this sequence, he met Khadka on April 19, and Koirala on May 5. Amid the ongoing friction, Thapa nominated 11 individuals from the Deuba camp and seven from the Koirala camp to the Central Committee on May 11. Because these nominations were made without taking prior consent, both the Deuba and Koirala factions grew dissatisfied with President Thapa.

Following this, the establishment faction moved to implement the policy mandated in the statute regarding the updating of active memberships. The Deuba-Koirala factions became further alienated after the party rolled out membership renewals, new membership distributions, and the update process starting May 16.

Both Deuba and Koirala share an identical stance regarding membership updates, and the rival faction has completely stayed away from the process so far. Initially, the deadline for completing membership procedures was set for June 4, 2026. It was later extended until the midnight of June 11, 2026. As the process remained incomplete, the deadline was pushed again on June 14 to June 21. On June 24, the Nepali Congress extended the active membership update deadline yet again, fixing the new cutoff date for July 4.