Nepali Congress leader Minendra Rijal has decided to withdraw his candidacy for vice-president after talks with Gagan Thapa, the candidate for the party’s president, saying he would rather focus on contributing to the party than seeking office.

Rijal said his conversation with Thapa had reinforced his view that his experience, knowledge and intellectual abilities could be put to greater use in the Congress’ next phase.

During their meeting on Tuesday night, Thapa said the party needed to make full use of Rijal’s understanding of BP Koirala and his intellectual legacy.

“You not only worked with BP Koirala, you also understood his intellectual side and have the strength and ability to carry that forward,” Thapa said. “I feel the party has not made proper use of that. I believe we need to make the fullest use of it as we chart the Congress’ future.”

Thapa said that as a younger generation was now leading the party, it was important to have Rijal’s strong presence, experience and knowledge. He said the party should create space for him to contribute even without competing for an office-bearer position.

Rijal said contributing to the Congress was now his main priority.

“The most important thing on my mind is how I can remain involved and contribute to the Congress,” he said.

He recalled how communication between him and the party leadership had gradually broken down in the past. While there had been issues on which they worked together and others on which they did not, Rijal said the Congress’ recent political setbacks had made a serious reassessment unavoidable.

“The Congress has suffered a defeat it has never experienced in its history,” he said. “It is not just a defeat in terms of numbers and arithmetic. The defeat has shaken the very foundation of the Congress.”

Rijal said he had not supported the idea of holding a special general convention, but had respected the court’s decision. He said he had also become involved in efforts to keep the party united as the political situation evolved.

He said Thapa’s leadership had given him fresh hope that the Congress could change.

“Given where we are today, I feel that what Gagan Thapa has done was possible, and that it can be done. It can be done by others too,” he said. “For me, that is what today’s meeting was about.”

Rijal said his decision to contest the vice-presidency was not driven by a desire for office. Rather, he wanted to test whether there was still a place for him and a meaningful role he could play in the party.

“Today, I don’t have a great ambition. I have only one ambition: that the Congress should be a Congress in the true sense, that its heart and soul should change,” he said. “Since you have said you want my help in that effort, there is no point in my contesting for any position.”

Rijal said he would formally withdraw his vice-presidential candidacy on Wednesday and would not contest for a seat on the Central Working Committee either.

“I will go tomorrow and withdraw my name from the race,” he said. “As for the rest, I have come here betting that Gagan Thapa will pull this off.”

Rijal had filed his nomination for vice-president under the open category. Other candidates are Govinda Bhattarai, Chandra Bhandari, Dhanraj Gurung, Surendra Raj Pandey, Madhu Prasad Acharya, Devraj Chalise, Dipak Giri and Chandra Mohan Yadav.