Nepali Congress
The Nepali Congress (Nepali: नेपाली कांग्रेस Nepali pronunciation: [neˈpali ˈkaŋres]; abbr. NC) is the oldest democratic socialist political party in Nepal and the largest party in the country.[12] The party has 870,106 members as of the party's 14th general convention in December 2021 making them the largest party by membership in Nepal.[13][14] Currently the party has started online membership since the emergence of youth leaders in vital post to bring youths into the party.[15][16][17]
Nepal Congress नेपाली काँग्रेस
Nēpālī kāṅgrēs
Nēpālī kāṅgrēs
NC
Central Working Committee
B. P. Koirala and others
9 April 1950
Policy Research and Training Centre[4]
870,106
The party is led by former prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba since the party's thirteenth general convention in 2016.[18] The party won 89 seats in the 2022 general election and is currently the largest parliamentary group in the House of Representatives.[19]
There have been seven Nepali Congress prime ministers and the party has led the government fourteen times.[20] 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 also appointed as 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.[21] The party also formed coalition governments in 1995 and 1998 under Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba. The party emerged as the largest party following the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections and led a coalition government under Sushil Koirala.[22] 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]
History[edit]
Nepali Congress formation, 1946–1950[edit]
The Nepali Congress Party was formed by the merger of Nepali National Congress and Nepal Democratic Congress. The Nepali National Congress was founded by Matrika Prasad Koirala in Calcutta, India on 25 January 1946. The Nepal Democratic Congress was founded by Subarna Shumsher Rana in Calcutta on 4 August 1948. The two parties merged on 10 April 1950 to form the Nepali Congress and Koirala became its first president.[24] The party called for an armed revolution against the Rana regime.
During the Bairgania Conference in Bairgania, Bihar, on 27 September 1950 the Nepali Congress announced an armed revolution against the Rana regime. The president of the party also announced the liquidation of operations in India and that the party would operate only inside Nepal.[25]
After King Tribhuvan took refuge inside the Indian Embassy on 6 November 1950. The Congress Liberation Army decided to take this opportunity to launch attacks against the regime before the King "left Nepalese soil". Matrika and Bisheshwor Prasad Koirala and Subarna Shamsher Rana flew to Purnia, Bihar. They called the commanders posted at different locations inside Nepal to prepare for armed strikes near the Nepal-India border.[25]
On 11 November 1950, at midnight Birgunj was attacked, and by 12 November it fell to the Nepali Congress and the first "People's Government" was declared.[25] The liberation army was able to control most of the eastern hills of Nepal and the town of Tansen in Palpa. After pressure by the Indian government and the mass movement by the Nepali Congress and other political parties, the Rana government finally submitted to their demands and King Tribhuvan returned to the throne, replacing King Gyanendra, who had been crowned king after King Tribhuvan left for India.
According to the website of Nepali Congress, the following are its sister organizations.[94]