KATHMANDU: Nawalparasi district committee of the Nepali Congress has expelled central committee member Devendra Raj Kandel from the party for a period of five years.

The district’s disciplinary committee officially dispatched the expulsion letter via post on Thursday, citing disciplinary violations.

Interestingly, the disciplinary action against Kandel had already been decided by the committee on the eve of the local elections in 2022. However, the decision had been held back due to the approaching federal and provincial elections.

The announcement comes at a time when internal rifts have deepened within the Nepali Congress following the central disciplinary committee’s action against 18 party members for allegedly working against official candidates in previous elections.

The faction led by Dr. Shekhar Koirala has strongly opposed these measures, labeling them as politically motivated and retaliatory.

A meeting held Thursday morning at Dr. Koirala’s liaison office in Baluwatar decided to launch political resistance against what it called unjust disciplinary actions by the party’s central disciplinary committee.