Kathmandu, Oct. 10 -- Gagan Thapa has won the Nepali Congress presidency with 93.88 percent of the vote, while Bishwa Prakash Sharma has been elected senior vice-president unopposed, placing the party's leadership firmly in the hands of two politicians once described as a "pair of oxen" pulling the Congress plough together.

Thapa secured 6,584 votes against 375 for rival Shyam Krishna Khadgi, winning by a margin of 6,209 votes. Kishor Singh Rathore, who had also filed a nomination against Thapa, withdrew his candidacy. Sharma was the sole candidate for senior vice-president, while Pushpa Bhusal was the only candidate for women's vice-president. Both were elected unopposed.

The pairing has a history. In December 2021, ahead of the Congre...