Deuba appears at NC office as ‘president’ despite no longer holding post

Kathmandu, August 23, 2026 — Former Nepali Congress president and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba appeared at the party’s Chundevi contact office on Sunday, where he was seated at a desk carrying a nameplate identifying him as “President Sher Bahadur Deuba,” despite no longer officially holding the position.

Deuba attended a tea reception organized by the Nepali Congress-affiliated Indigenous Nationalities Federation at the office. It was his second visit to the Chundevi office since returning to Nepal following about five months of medical treatment in Singapore and Hong Kong.

He returned to Nepal on August 12 and had visited the office on the same day.

The Chundevi office was established by the Deuba faction in preparation for the Nepali Congress’s 15th general convention. A separate room has been arranged for Deuba, with a sign outside it also identifying him as “President Sher Bahadur Deuba.”

Former state minister for energy Purna Bahadur Tamang said at a national gathering on August 14 that he had personally placed the nameplate without informing other party leaders.

The use of the presidential title comes amid an unresolved dispute over the leadership of the Nepali Congress.

Deuba did not participate in the party’s special general convention held from January 11 to 14. The Election Commission recognized the executive committee elected under the leadership of Gagan Thapa at that convention. The decision was later upheld by a Supreme Court division bench.

Deuba subsequently challenged the ruling through a review petition. The Supreme Court has granted permission for the review, leaving the dispute over the party leadership subject to further judicial proceedings.