KATHMANDU, Feb 20: In a significant political shift from Rasuwa, nearly 100 leaders and cadres of the CPN-UML, including former district chair and Constituent Assembly member Janardan Dhakal, joined the Nepali Congress (NC) on Thursday.
NC President Gagan Kumar Thapa formally welcomed the group, handing over party membership certificates amid a program marking their entry.
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The defecting team includes district, municipal and ward-level office bearers, secretariat members, youth leaders from sister organizations, officials of the Youth Association and ANNFSU, as well as former district and central members of the National Sports Federation. Several members have also been active in sports and social institutions.
Many among them had spent years within the UML, building both organizational depth and administrative experience—assets the NC now appears keen to absorb.
Former minister Ram Bir Manandhar has also switched allegiance, quitting the UML to join the NC. Elected to Parliament in 2017, Manandhar previously served as a ward chair, adding local governance experience to his political résumé.
NC leaders described the mass crossover as a strategic boost to the party’s grassroots structure in Rasuwa. They indicated that similar organizational consolidation efforts will be accelerated in other districts in the coming days.
With the influx of seasoned leaders and cadres, the party hopes to strengthen its internal balance of experience and emerging leadership, signaling that Rasuwa may be just the beginning of a broader realignment.
