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Nepal Prime Minister and the Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba was elected the parliamentary party (PP) leader on Wednesday, overpowering his nearest challenger, party General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa by 39 votes, officials said. Deuba, 76, secured 64 votes, while Thapa, 45, could muster only 25 votes, they said. All 89 lawmakers of the party participated in the voting. The win means that Deuba will possibly lead the next government after the Nepali Congress emerged as the single-largest party in the general elections held on November 20.
Thapa was the lone challenger to Deuba. Both submitted their nominations on Tuesday. Senior party leader Ram Chandra Paudel proposed Deuba’s nomination and was seconded by Purna Bahadur Khadka.
Dr Shekhar Koirala proposed Thapa’s nomination, which was supported by Bishwa Prakash Sharma, Pradeep Paudel and Dhanraj Gurung.
