In the last three decades, there have been major upheavals in Nepal such as the Maoist insurgency (1996-2006), the end of the 239-year-old monarchical institution, the turning of the Hindu state into a secular state, the replacement of the unitary form of government by the federal system, Madhesh Uprising, the promulgation of a new constitution in 2015 and the conduction of two elections of the local, provincial and federal levels—one in 2017 and the other in 2022. But what did not change was the leadership of traditional political parties. The same leaders who existed in the 1990s still happen to be the main players in politics. But the sudden entry of the young forces in politics and their victory in the elections of the 753 local bodies on 13 May and recently in the elections of the seven provincial assemblies and federal parliament on 20 November shows that the days of the old hawks in Nepalese politics are numbered. Nearly 50 percent of new faces have won the seats in the recently held parliamentary elections. In the wake of the elections, Nepali social media was flooded with slogans like “No, not again” giving the message to the voters not to vote for the ageing leaders or the older parties. As a result, many well-established leaders of traditional political parties were rejected by the voters. Newcomers in politics could have performed better had 4-5 million eligible voters, which constitute almost 25 to 30 percent of the country’s electorate, been allowed to vote in the elections. But the bulk of the Nepalese voters was denied their voting rights simply because they lived outside the country. There is no provision for those living outside the country to participate in the elections.

Nepali social media was flooded with slogans like “No, not again” giving the message to the voters not to vote for the ageing leaders or the older parties.

The victory of an independent candidate Balen Shah, a young engineer by profession, for the seat of mayor in the hardcore area of the Newars and other communities in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu Metropolitan City, in the local level elections in May ignited the youth all over the country. In the last six months, he emerged as the tallest figure in Nepalese politics due to his commitment to revamping the life of Kathmandu. This in many ways impressed voters all over the country to support the youth forces in the elections.

Emergence of new parties

Besides, the disenchantment of the voters towards the ageing leaders and the traditional parties was also a factor that helped the young people to enter politics. The case in point is the Rastriya Swatantra Party which emerged as the fourth-largest political party, though it was registered with the Election Commission just a few months before the elections. Similarly, the Janmat Party which was registered about two years ago also emerged as a major political force in the Terai. In Western Nepal, the Nagrik Unmukti Party whose leader is still in jail also emerged as a force to be reckoned with. Unlike in the past, the diaspora community this time played a key role in influencing their near and dear at home to vote for the newer faces. One of the major factors for the victory of the candidates of the Rastriya Swatantra Party in the elections of the parliament was the support from the diaspora community. Social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and even YouTube were channelled in favour of this party. Rabi Lamechhane who now leads the Rastriya Swatantra Party through his “Sidha Kura Janata Sanga” (Straight talk with the people) raised the issue of migrant workers and exposed poor service delivery by government agencies and corrupt officials. Similarly, the Janmat Party emerged as a strong regional party in Madhesh by getting the support of the voters mainly from the poor people and the Madheshi diaspora working in Gulf countries. The leader of this party, C.K. Raut, became popular as at some point in time he had laid a secessionist movement for a separate Madhesh, but later he entered mainstream politics following an agreement with KP Sharma-led government in March 2019.

The Janmat Party emerged as a strong regional party in Madhesh by getting the support of the voters mainly from the poor people and the Madheshi diaspora working in Gulf countries.

In the meantime, dozens of younger leaders with diverse backgrounds in music, journalism or entrepreneurship who have been elected to parliament have started challenging the hegemony of the old guards in Nepali politics. They feel that the established old parties carry the mindset of the Rana and Shah rule and are functioning like private limited companies. Besides, they are also aware of the rampant corruption, nepotism, and favouritism in appointments in administrative services, promotion, or transfers of staff. So, they talk about contemporary issues and not about ideologies in their attempt to give a new direction to the country. It was the agenda or the zeal of the youth rather than the election manifestos or the ideologies of the parties that attracted the voters. The voters trusted them for their commitment to deliver and bring change. This also laid to the resurgence of right-wing politics in the country. The newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party wants a unitary system against the federal democratic republic. Similarly, the pro-Hindu and pro-monarchical party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, has improved its image substantially after it loss in the 2017 elections

Role in forming the government

Because of the support given to the young faces, none of the older parties like the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML or even the CPN-Maoists could get a majority. Even the Nepali Congress-led coalition is still shy of two votes to get the magical number of 138 in the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR)to form the government. So, it is badly in need of the support of the newly formed fringe parties to form the government

Even the Nepali Congress-led coalition is still shy of two votes to get the magical number of 138 in the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR)to form the government.

To get the support of fringe parties like the Nagrik Unmukti Party which has won three seats in the parliament or even the Janmat Party which has six seats, the Deuba-led government has decided to amend the National Criminal Procedure (Code) Act, 2017 through an ordinance to give amnesty to especially Resham Chaudhary who is serving a life term regarding the case of Tikapur carnage in 2015 in which eight people were killed. Once President Bidya Devi Bhandari authenticates this ordinance, it will pave the way for the government to grant amnesty to Chaudhary and also to those political workers convicted of heinous crimes and languishing in jail. The government has defended its stand on the ordinance citing the cases of past governments which also brought similar ordinances to grant amnesty to political prisoners in their bid to bring the radical forces into the mainstream of the nation. But the opponents of the ordinance have asked the president not to give consent to this ordinance. The entry of the youth and the new political parties into politics is a welcome development. People now feel some change as they were disenchanted with the traditional political parties and their old hawk. The era of alternative politics has begun in which the role of the fringe parties is crucial. In such a situation, the government’s effort to give amnesty to certain elements in its bid to bring them into the national mainstream cannot altogether be denied. However, it is difficult to say how the young faces in political parties can deliver in terms of providing stable administration, controlling price rise and reviving the economy, generating employment opportunities and balancing relations between immediate neighbours India and China in the neighbourhood at a time the nation is heading for political instability given the fractured verdict in the elections of federal parliament and provincial assemblies.

• Neighbourhood
• Neighbourhood
• Madheshi diaspora
• Nepal
• politics
• social media
• Youth

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