The first Special Convention of the Nepali Congress (NC) was held in May 1957 following the resignation of then President Subarna Shumsher Rana. The convention elected BP Koirala to the presidentship of the NC, and the rest is history. BP Koirala established the party as a synonym of democracy, became the first democratically elected prime minister and guided the political direction of Nepal. Over time, the NC, the protege of BP Koirala, actively participated in all democratic revolutions post 1950 and contributed in restoring multi-party democracy in 1990. Fast forward to January 2026. The general secretaries of the NC, with support from 54% of General Convention representatives, called for its second Special Convention following the Gen-Z movement, which had advocated for good-governance, corruption elimination, and implementation of meritocracy. However, only the peaceful protest until midday on September 8 can be termed genuine as Gen-Z movement, and the unprecedented devastation afterwards should be attributed to external infiltrators. We must recognise that the infiltrators were also Nepali citizens, driven by frustration with the actions of the current cohort of political leaders. Hence, in recognition of the movement's sentiments, the first and second generations of leaders within the established political parties should have voluntarily withdrawn from active politics. In contrast, leaders who had to be airlifted and rescued by the security forces during the Gen-Z movement returned to political activity once the unrest subsided. Amid the stubbornness of former prime ministers KP Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and others, the octogenarian president of the NC, Sher Bahadur Deuba, briefly won public sentiment by voluntarily stepping down from party leadership and delegating his responsibilities to Vice President Purna Bahadur Khadka. Had he remained firm in his decision, this would have constituted a graceful exit for Deuba. Instead, Deuba resumed party affairs upon returning from a medical visit to Singapore. It was evident that majority of the NC's members and well-wishers were in favour of Deuba's graceful exit. Hence, the periodic General Convention was scheduled for Poush-end. Simultaneously, 54% of the General Convention representatives signed a petition to call a Special Convention should the periodic General Convention fail to take place. Ultimately, Deuba's core team obstructed the scheduled General Convention, prompting General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Biswa Prakash Sharma to call for a Special Convention. The four-day tug-of-war between the Special Convention organisers and the NC establishment concluded with a bitter outcome. The NC establishment expelled its general secretaries, and the General Convention countered by electing an interim central committee under the presidentship of Gagan Thapa. The Election Commission (EC) has recognised the Gagan Thapa-led faction as the genuine NC. However, the NC squabble is going to follow a lengthy legal course as the Deuba coterie is going to challenge the EC's verdict in the Supreme Court. This rift within the country's leading democratic party might affect the upcoming election scheduled for March 5 as a long and tedious court proceeding is definitely in the offing. The NC needed to reform, as it was unceremoniously aligning itself with socialist parties that espoused fundamentally opposing principles. In addition, corruption and nepotism had strangled the party. Democratic principles existed only on paper; in practice, the party machinery was controlled by a small group of leaders. This ineptitude of the NC had triggered the emergence of new and alternative-claiming political parties. So, majority of the General Convention representatives took the risk, and whatever the legal decision, their courage will set a positive testament for other parties led by outdated leadership. Thapa, Sharma and their team have a daunting task ahead of them. With sporadic minor controversies, this cohort is mostly clean, energetic, and to some extent, visionary. It can be expected that the new blood of the NC is aware of the ongoing political chaos and has a working plan to emerge out of the political status quo. The newly formed central committee and reformed NC do not have the luxury to commit further political blunders. They have only one way out – to deliver. With political instability and a tangle of populist rival parties, the fragmented NC risks a setback in the upcoming election. The leadership should not be apprehensive of any such outcomes and should prepare themselves for the following periodic elections. Without a mandate to form the government, the NC should refrain from playing foul to seize power. Instead, it should assume the role of a responsible opposition throughout the parliamentary term, holding the government accountable for its actions. This approach would pave the way for the party to return to power in the next election. Deuba has served the party for a very long time. His initial sufferings, hardships, and commitment towards democracy are commendable. Although it may be late, he should still shed the burden of tested, failed, and outdated leaders from his inner circle and respect the decisions of the majority of General Convention representatives. Else, he will be smeared with one more black spot on his political career. Thapa and Sharma have executed something unthinkable in contemporary politics. They should now embrace all the members of the NC without any grudge. The third and fourth generations of other established parties should take a leaf out of this and work towards reforming their respective parties. This will ultimately cleanse the filthy politics prevalent in Nepal. For Thapa and Sharma, the true test begins now. Dr Joshi is a senior scientist and independent opinion maker based in Germany pushpa.joshi@gmail.com