Kathmandu, Jan. 14 -- Nepal's grand old party, the Nepali Congress, has split for the third time since its formation in 1950.

The first split happened in 1953 due to the tussle between Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala and Matrika Prasad Koirala. The party split again in 2002, during the height of the Maoist insurgency, after then prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba dissolved the House of Representatives, announced elections, and extended the state of emergency to quell the rebellion.

On Wednesday, the party split for a third time after an internal power struggle between the party president Deuba and two general secretaries-Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma-reached a tipping point.

After 54 percent of elected representatives to the general ...