Update (20:19 NST, October 5, 2026)
Prime Minister Balen Shah on Monday evening criticised the Nepali Congress for its failure to resolve the landless problem, seven decades after the party promised land distribution in its 1959 election manifesto. Shah stated that successive governments have spent over Rs 2 billion on various structures to address land issues between 2020 and last year, but without achieving expected results. He announced his government aims to fully resolve the landless squatter problem within 1,000 days.
Under the current government, 5,737 families have already received land ownership registration certificates. Since the formation of the Land Problem Resolution Committee, 1,311,197 applications have been entered into an integrated system for review and verification, Shah said.
Separately, the Nepali Congress formally passed its amended statute during the closed session of its 15th General Convention on Monday, October 5, 2026, confirming the expansion of its Central Committee to 297 members. The party also proposed increasing its Central Working Committee from 31 to 41 members and confirmed that the new structure will include a nominated Treasurer. The party’s active membership has now reached 969,842, an increase of approximately 100,000 since its 14th General Convention.
The Nepali Congress expanded its Central Committee to 297 members and introduced a Senior Vice President post on Monday, October 5, 2026. This decision was made during the party’s 15th General Convention’s closed session in Kathmandu, marking a significant change from its previous 167-member committee.
Separately, the Nepal Health Professional Council, a regulatory body for health professionals, formed a five-member probe committee on Monday, October 5, 2026, to investigate allegations of patient abuse at Thapa Polyclinic in Kohalpur Municipality-11, Banke. Police arrested Ganesh Bahadur Thapa, 63, the operator of the polyclinic, on Sunday, October 4, 2026, following a complaint of sexual assault.
Nepali Congress expands leadership structure
The amended statute of the Nepali Congress now includes one President, one Senior Vice President, four Vice Presidents, three General Secretaries, and 15 Joint General Secretaries. This is the first time the party has created a Senior Vice President post.
According to Nepali Congress spokesperson Devraj Chalise, the four Vice Presidents will include one woman, one from an inclusive group, and two from open competition. Among the three General Secretaries, one woman is mandatory. Of the 15 Joint General Secretaries, 11 will be elected and four will be nominated, bringing the total number of office bearers to 24.
Chalise stated that the expansion aims to accommodate a growing number of aspirants and make the organizational structure more inclusive and systematic. The party’s move to increase its central committee size follows a trend seen in communist parties in Nepal.
The 15th General Convention began on Sunday, October 4, 2026, in Kathmandu. The closed session is scheduled to continue until Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Following the approval of the amended statute, elections for office bearers and central members under the new structure will commence on October 7 and 8, 2026.
Probe launched into patient abuse in Banke
The Nepal Health Professional Council issued a statement expressing serious concern over the online complaint regarding patient abuse at Thapa Polyclinic. The council formed a five-member committee to investigate the incident and submit a factual report.
The victim filed a police report after a video related to the incident circulated on social media. According to the District Police Office, Banke, Ganesh Bahadur Thapa was taken into custody based on this complaint. Police further stated that Thapa only possesses a CMA (Community Medical Assistant) certificate and lacks the necessary license to provide medical treatment.
The District Police Office, Banke, is investigating Thapa on charges of sexual assault. Additionally, police are examining whether Thapa violated the Nepal Medical Council’s ‘Professional Code of Conduct and Ethics, 2017’. The Banke District Court extended Thapa’s remand by seven days to allow for further investigation.
The Nepal Health Professional Council’s committee is expected to submit its report within the specified timeframe. Police will continue their investigation into Thapa within the seven-day remand period granted by the court.
The names of the five-member committee formed by the Nepal Health Professional Council have not yet been released.
