Doctors and engineers feature prominently in Congress's new central committee

The Central Working Committee elected at the Nepali Congress's 15th general convention under Gagan Kumar Thapa's leadership includes a notable number of doctors and engineers.

According to details reported in the media, around 30 doctors and about 15 engineers have been elected to the new committee, though some outlets put the number of doctors at 29. After its special general convention, the party had amended its statute to bring professionals and subject experts into the central committee, and doctors and engineers have been elected both through dedicated professional groups and through open competition and inclusive quotas.

At the office-bearer level, Dr Chandra Kant Bhandari and engineer Madhu Acharya have been elected vice-presidents. Dr Dilla Sangraula (Pant) was elected general secretary, and Dr Mohammad Firdosh Alam was elected joint general secretary from the Muslim quota.

Through open competition, Dr Krishna Prasad Paudel, Dr Muktiram Shrestha, Prof Dr Govinda Raj Pokharel, Dr Shobhakar Parajuli and Dr Suraj Raj Kafle were elected central members. Among engineers, Rishi Koirala, Deepak Babu Kandel, Mohan Acharya, Navaraj Tripathi and Amrit Gyawali were elected central members.

Media outlets noted that this reflects increased representation of the technical and academic sectors in the party's leadership and decision-making bodies.