Kathmandu, Jan. 16 -- The intra-party rift in the Nepali Congress has spilt onto the streets after the Election Commission decided to recognise newly elected party president Gagan Thapa as the legitimate party leader.

Thapa was elected as the party president at the special convention that concluded earlier this week, despite protests from former Prime Minister and immediate past party president Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The dispute reached the electoral body of the Himalayan nation, which late on Friday evening decided to update its records to reflect Gagan Thapa as the new party president.

As per Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari, the commission relied on three key grounds to decide on updating the party's details.

Acc...