Kathmandu, Jan. 15 -- The Nepali Congress formally split on Wednesday, hardly a week before nominations for the first-past-the-post system for the March 5 snap polls. This has triggered a fight for legitimacy between the two factions.

With marathon meetings failing to bring a truce, the grand old party split in two-one led by Sher Bahadur Deuba, and another by Gagan Thapa, who has been elected party president by the special general convention. The organisers of the special convention on Tuesday had informed the Election Commission that the national meeting was being held in presence of the majority of general convention representatives.

On Wednesday, the Deuba faction claimed before the commission that no such convention had been offici...