 He has been a member of the Central Working Committee of the party since 1979 and was appointed General Secretary of the party in 1996 and Vice President in 1998.In 2001, he lost the contest for the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader to Sher Bahadur Deuba.Koirala was appointed acting President of the party in 2008 by President Girija Prasad Koirala.