Nepali Congress

Nepal Congress
नेपाली कांग्रेस
Nēpālī kāṅgrēs
AbbreviationNC
PresidentSher Bahadur Deuba
PresidiumCentral Working Committee
Vice-presidentPurna Bahadur Khadka
Dhanraj Gurung
General SecretaryGagan Thapa
Bishwa Prakash Sharma[1]
SpokespersonPrakash Sharan Mahat[2]
FounderB. P. Koirala and others
Founded9 April 1950 (74 years ago) (1950-04-09)
Merger of
HeadquartersB.P. Smriti Bhawan,
B.P. Nagar, Lalitpur[3]
Think tankPolicy Research and Training Centre[4]
Student wingNepal Student Union
Youth wingNepal Tarun Dal
Women's wingNepal Woman Association
Labour wingNepal Trade Union Congress
Peasant's wingNepal Farmers Association[5]
Membership (December 2021)Increase 870,106
IdeologySocial democracy
Factions:
Democratic socialism[6][7][8]
Third Way[9]
Political positionCentre[10] to centre-left[11]
Regional affiliationNetwork of Social Democracy in Asia[12]
International affiliationSocialist International
Progressive Alliance
Colours 
ECN StatusNational Party (1st largest)
House of Representatives
88 / 275
National Assembly
16 / 59
Provincial Assemblies
176 / 550
Chief Ministers
3 / 7
Mayors/Chairs
333 / 753
Councillors
13,730 / 35,011
Election symbol
BJP Election Symbol
BJP Election Symbol
Party flag
Website
nepalicongress.org
Part of a series on
Nepali Congress
Ideology
History
Sister organizations

The Nepali Congress (Nepali: नेपाली कांग्रेस Nepali pronunciation: [neˈpali ˈkaŋres]; abbr. NC) is a social democratic political party in Nepal and the largest party in the country.[13] The party has 870,106 members as of the party's 14th general convention in December 2021, making it the largest party by membership in Nepal.[14][15] In June 2023, the party started online membership since the emergence of youth leaders in vital posts to attract youths to the party.[16][17][18] The party is led by former prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba since the party's thirteenth general convention in 2016.[19] The party won 89 seats in the 2022 general election and is currently the largest parliamentary group in the House of Representatives.[20]

There have been seven Nepali Congress prime ministers and the party has led the government fourteen times.[21] Matrika Prasad Koirala, a founding member of the party was appointed as the first commoner prime minister following the end of the Rana regime in 1951. Subarna Shumsher Rana, another founding member of the party was appointed prime minister in 1958. Congress is the only party in Nepal to have been elected with a majority, with the party forming majority governments in 1959, 1991 and 1999 under B.P. Koirala, Girija Prasad Koirala and K.P. Bhattarai respectively with B.P. Koirala becoming the first elected prime minister of the country.[22] The party also formed coalition governments in 1995 and 1998 with Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba as prime ministers. The party emerged as the largest party following the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections and led a coalition government under Sushil Koirala.[23] After the promulgation of the constitution in 2015, the party led coalition governments under Deuba in 2017 and 2021.

The party was formed in 1950 by the merger of the Nepali National Congress and the Nepal Democratic Congress along democratic socialist lines. NC prime ministers led four governments between the fall of the Rana dynasty and the start of the Panchayat era, including the first democratically elected government of Nepal, after the 1959 general election. Starting in the 1990s, the party followed other mainstream, centre-left social democratic parties in moving closer to the political centre through the Third Way.[8]

  1. ^ "Central Working Committee". Nepali Congress. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Prakash Sharan Mahat appointed Nepali Congress Spokesperson". prakashsmahat.com. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Contacts". Nepali Congress. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  4. ^ "१६ देशमा कांग्रेस केन्द्रीय नीति अनुसन्धान तथा प्रशिक्षण प्रतिष्ठान विस्तार".
  5. ^ "नेपाल किसान संघ,काभ्रे". Archived from the original on 25 January 2020.
  6. ^ Singh, Rishi (12 August 2006). "NC-NC (D) unity should spur change: Poudel". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  7. ^ "BP Koirala's socialism: What Nepal needs now for the dream to materialise - OnlineKhabar English News". 15 October 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Nepali Congress, An Introduction". Archived 8 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Nepali Congress. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Acharya was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Nepali Congress wins most votes in elections". BBC News. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  11. ^ Sharma, Gopal (6 June 2017). "Nepali Congress leader Deuba elected PM for fourth time". Reuters. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  12. ^ "About".
  13. ^ "Prachanda back in government, Nepali Congress in opposition". PIME AsiaNews. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  14. ^ "कांग्रेसले महाधिवेशन सकिएको चार महिनामै खुलायो सदस्यता". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  15. ^ Adhikari, Ashok (8 December 2021). "जनाधार बलियो बनाउँदै दल" [Parties strengthening base] (PDF). Gorkhapatra. Nepal. p. 1. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  16. ^ "असार १ देखि कांग्रेसको नयाँ सदस्य र नवीकरण अनलाइनमार्फत भर्न सकिने". Online Khabar. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  17. ^ "अनलाइनबाट नेपाली कांग्रेसको साधारण सदस्य बन्न सकिने". Techpana. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  18. ^ "डिजिटल बन्दै कांग्रेस : ५ लाख सदस्यता अनलाइन इन्ट्री". News24 : Premium News Channel. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Sher Bahadur Deuba elected Nepali Congress president". The Himalayan Times. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  20. ^ "Proportional representation votes counted, 7 parties become national parties - OnlineKhabar English News". 7 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Previous Election Facts and Figures". 21 October 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  22. ^ "Previous Election Facts and Figures". 21 October 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Sovereign people make CA polls historic". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2021.