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Gagan Thapa
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Gagan Thapa

गगन कुमार थापा

Nepali politician

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Gagan Kumar Thapa (born 19 July 1976) is a Nepali politician serving as the president of the Nepali Congress since 2026. He was the prime ministerial candidate for the Nepali Congress in the 2026 general election.

Quick facts

Born
wd
Place of birth
Kathmandu wd
Citizenship
Nepal wd
Occupation
politician, businessperson wd
Political party
Nepali Congress wd
Official website
gaganthapa.com.np wd
Social media
X (Twitter) · Facebook wd

Public office

Officeholder record, tenure and sources →

Positions held wd

  • president (since 14 January 2026 · BS 29 Poush 2082 onwards)
  • Member of the 2nd Constituent Assembly of Nepal (19 November 2013 – 13 October 2017)

About

Thapa is a four-time parliamentarian, having first been elected via proportional representation in 2008, and since 2013 has been elected from Kathmandu 4. He served as Minister of Health from August 2016 to May 2017, when he initiated health insurance and other widely popular facilities.

Early life and education

Quoted from Wikipedia: Gagan Thapa (CC BY-SA 4.0); each sentence links the source Wikipedia cites for it. Checked 7 November 2026.

  • He completed his Bachelors of Science in chemistry from Tri Chandra College in 1998 and M.A. in sociology from Tribhuvan University in 2003. www.ratopati.com
  • In 2008, Thapa was married to Anjana KC, daughter of Arjun Narsingh KC. www.nepalicongress.org

Career

  • He was a Committee Member of the Nepal Students Union from 1998 to 2002, Vice President from 2000 to 2002, and its General Secretary from 2002 to 2004. kathmandupost.com
  • He called for greater involvement of youth in the movement, and called on students to take to the streets to launch a decisive movement for the restoration of democracy. The Himalayan Times The Himalayan Times
  • He was jailed on charges of sedition in 2004. archive.nepalitimes.com
  • Thapa was immediately rearrested and served with a 90-day detention order under the Public Security Act (PSA). Amnesty International
  • He was declared a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International. www.amnestynepal.org archive.nepalitimes.com
  • Following a Special Court order in July 2005, Thapa was arrested from the Singha Durbar Ward Police Station where he had gone to meet his colleagues, and was subsequently interrogated by The Office of the Kathmandu District Government Attorney for his involvement in 'offense against the state' by chanting anti-monarchy slogans at a rally. The Himalayan Times The Himalayan Times

Key decisions and achievements

  • Thapa has long expressed his desire for party reformation and has worked to that end for more than a decade, calling for the replacement of the general and active membership in 2015 He was kicked from Nepali Congress on 14 January 2026 for not following party rules and regulations. kathmandupost.com The Himalayan Times The Himalayan Times
  • Later he was elected as president and prime minister candidate of party from the 2nd special convention of Nepali Congress which was recognized by election commission later. The Himalayan Times kathmandupost.com
  • Thapa was re-elected as a president of the party in the 15th general convention which was held in Kathmandu from 4 to 8 October, 2026. Setopati english.onlinekhabar.com

Notable statements

  • During the 12th National Convention of the NSU in 2007, Thapa pulled out his candidacy for the post of President, claiming that "The NC leadership has remained biased against me and therefore I have declared that I would not contest". The Himalayan Times

In the news All news →

Questions

When was Gagan Thapa born?
Gagan Thapa was born on 16 July 1976 in Kathmandu.
What positions has Gagan Thapa held?
Positions held by Gagan Thapa include: president (since 14 January 2026); Member of the 2nd Constituent Assembly of Nepal (2013–2017).
Where did Gagan Thapa study?
Gagan Thapa was educated at Tribhuvan University.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (English): Gagan Thapa · CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Wikipedia (Nepali): गगन कुमार थापा · CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Wikidata item Q3757183 · CC0 1.0
  4. Image: Gagan Thapa गगन थापा Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha (cropped).jpg by Gunjan Raj Giri (CC0)
  5. Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Gagan Thapa · CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. www.ratopati.com: को हुन् नवनिर्वाचित कांग्रेस सभापति गगन थापा ?
  7. www.nepalicongress.org: NepaliCongress.org
  8. kathmandupost.com: Gagan Thapa’s long political journey to party leadership
  9. The Himalayan Times: Education strike: Schools, colleges shut (23 April 2004)
  10. The Himalayan Times: Students for drive to revive democracy (7 April 2005)
  11. archive.nepalitimes.com: At the gates- Nepali Times
  12. Amnesty International: Nepal Crisis Alert Action: Student Activists (May 2005)
  13. www.amnestynepal.org: AI Nepal's 17th National Council Meeting
  14. archive.nepalitimes.com: Damned if they do, damned if they don't- Nepali Times
  15. The Himalayan Times: Gagan Thapa arrested; in 7-day remand (26 July 2005)
  16. The Himalayan Times: I was exercising a right: Thapa (30 July 2005)
  17. kathmandupost.com: Transforming party my goal: Gagan Thapa
  18. The Himalayan Times: Thapa to continue efforts for Congress transformation (9 March 2016)
  19. The Himalayan Times: Nepali Congress CWC divided over report on active membership (17 December 2015)
  20. The Himalayan Times: Gagan Thapa elected Nepali Congress President (15 January 2026)
  21. kathmandupost.com: Election Commission recognises Gagan Thapa-led Nepali Congress
  22. Setopati: Gagan Thapa elected Nepali Congress president
  23. english.onlinekhabar.com: Gagan Thapa takes oath as Nepali Congress president - OnlineKhabar English News (2026-10-17)
  24. The Himalayan Times: NSU convention today (20 May 2007)

Last updated · facts checked 7 November 2026

Cite this page

"Gagan Thapa". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/gagan-thapa. Retrieved 7 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Gagan Thapa, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Gagan Thapa गगन थापा Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha (cropped).jpg — Gunjan Raj Giri, CC0.

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