SATV, Kathmandu, Oct.12-PradeepPaudelhasbeenelectedGeneralSecretaryoftheNepaliCongresswithahugemarginofvotesattheparty’s15thGeneralConvention.Accordingtotheannouncedresults,hesecurednearlytwo-thirdsofthevotestowinthepost.Withthisvictory,Paudel,whorosethroughstudentpolitics,hasfirmlyestablishedhimselfintheparty’smainstreamleadership.
Paudel began his political journey through the Nepal Students’ Union (NSU), the student wing of the Nepali Congress. He participated in the 1990 People’s Movement while still a student, and Amrit Science Campus in Kathmandu is considered the starting point of his political career. After enrolling at Amrit Science Campus for higher education, he became affiliated with the NSU.
Paudel’s popularity within the NSU grew after he was elected president of the Free Students’ Union at Amrit Science Campus in 1996. From 2000 to 2002, he served on the NSU’s Central Working Committee. Between 2002 and 2007, he was elected vice-president of the NSU three times. An active participant in the 2006–2007 People’s Movement, Paudel spent approximately 11 months in prison.
In 2008, Paudel was elected president of the NSU. Under his leadership, the student organization endorsed the republican agenda even before the parent party, the Nepali Congress, did so. However, after the NSU failed to hold its convention on time, the executive committee led by Paudel was dissolved. He subsequently contested for a seat on the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee at the party’s 12th General Convention, held in 2010.
Although 25 candidates were to be elected from the open category, Paudel finished 26th in terms of votes received. Nevertheless, Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala nominated him as a Central Working Committee member despite his electoral defeat. At the party’s 13th General Convention, Paudel won a seat on the Central Working Committee with a strong popular vote.
At the 14th General Convention, he contested for the post of General Secretary as a candidate from Sher Bahadur Deuba’s panel. However, while Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma were elected General Secretaries, Paudel finished fifth.
Although most office-bearers from the Deuba faction won their respective positions, Paudel and Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat, both candidates for General Secretary, were defeated. Following Paudel’s defeat, then-party president Deuba nominated him as a Central Working Committee member.
Paudel lost the provincial assembly election in 2017 but was elected to the House of Representatives from Kathmandu-5 in 2022.
Paudel later became Health Minister in the government led by KP Sharma Oli. Following the collapse of the Oli government after the Gen Z movement of September 8–9, 2025, Paudel also left his ministerial position. In 2026, he suffered a heavy defeat in the Kathmandu-5 constituency, losing to Sasm it Pokharel of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) by a wide margin.
Paudel, who became General Secretary through the special convention held last December, has now received a renewed mandate with a majority of votes at the regular general convention as well. While fellow General Secretary candidate Gururaj Ghimire lost, Paudel managed to retain his position.
With this victory, Paudel has assumed responsibility for leading the Nepali Congress’s organizational machinery for the next four years.
