Nepal defence minister Minendra Rijal exits after defeat in party election

Nepal’s Defence Minister Minendra Rijal resigned on Thursday after he was defeated by younger leaders in the election to the post of general secretary of the ruling Nepali Congress party.

The Nepali Congress (NC) delegates elected its youth leaders Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma as general secretaries during the 14th General Convention of the country's largest democratic party.

The election comes a day after Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was re-elected as the president of the party for a consecutive second four year term after defeating his rival Shekhar Koirala in a run-off.