Veteran Politicians Are Back In Strength As Nepal Votes On March 5

By Nitya Chakraborty

Just twenty days after the February 12 national elections in Bangladesh, another South Asian country Nepal is going to the polls on March 5 just six months after the Gen Z movement in the country ousted the K P S Oli government in September 2025. The official poll campaign under the interim government began on February 16 and it will end on March 3-48 hours before the polling day. The elections are taking place under the interim government led by the Prime Minister Sushila Karki.

There are some similarities as well as dissimilarities in the way the snap elections have been organized in both countries. In Bangladesh, the students led by anti-discriminatory body launched the movement initially for the removal of discrimination on quota in February 2024 after the new Awami League government was installed in January2024 after the national elections which were boycotted by most of the opposition parties. This movement took a militant shape in July after many killings and clashes between the supporters of students movement and the security forces as also ruling Awami League supporters. The students movement then turned into a national movement of opposition against the Awami League rule. This led to the ouster of the Awami League government and the fleeing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024 to India.

As against this, in Nepal, the movement was started by the Gen Z including the school students in protest against the government order to ban social media platforms. The movement then turned into a total opposition to the ruling K P S Oli government and all the established political parties. There were clashes between security forces and demonstrators but Nepalese army took a cautionary stand. After the situation went out of control, the Nepalese army chief told PM Oli to step down. He and his government resigned. The Army chief in consultations with Gen Z leaders and civil society leaders helped in the formation of an interim government led by the former Chief Justice Sushila Karki.

The difference is that in Nepal, there was little bloodshed, while in Bangladesh, during the movement about 1500 persons lost their lives. In Bangladesh, PM Sheikh Hasina fled to India and Awami League was banned. In February 12 elections in Bangladesh, the AL was not present. Its rival BNP won bagging 212 sets out of the total of 300 seats in new Parliament. In Nepal, no party was banned, all political parties , about 50 including all the major ruling parties have been allowed to take part in March 5 polls. The last PM K P S Oli kept hiding for a few days only after the September ouster, but he very soon started organizing his party cadres. All the earlier political leaders have come back though there has been some change in Nepal Congress leadership.

There are 275 seats in Nepal Parliament lower house. Out of this, 165 seats are meant for direct elections and the remaining 110 will be filled through proportional representation. In Nepal, all major parties contest in all seats and after their strength is known after the elections, the parties go for alliance after the elections. In the same pattern, 73 year old K P S Oli, the ousted PM is leading Communist Party of Nepal-UML (Unified Marxist Leninist). He was earlier in alliance with the Nepali Congress before the September ouster. Another former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal known as Prachanda, the former PM heads the Nepal Communist Party. He has been able to rope in other communist factions under him. He has emerged as the main challenger to Oli.

While both Communist Parties have retained the traditional leaders, the Nepali Congress, the country’s oldest political party has elected a young Gagan Thapa as its new leader in January this year. The 49 year old popular leader replaces the veteran Sher Bahadur Deuba,79, who was PM five times in varying combination of alliances in the last two decades since the establishment of democracy after 2006.

As against the traditional political parties dominating the Nepal political scene in the last two decades, the new party supported by a good section of Gen Z is Rashtriya Prajantantra Party (RPP) led by the 50 year old television host Rabi Lamichhane. A former deputy prime minister and home minister Lamichhane has formed an alliance with Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, 35, a rapper and civil engineer with considerable social media following. Shah is the alliance’s PM candidate. He is a fighter against corruption and has the support of a good section of Gen Z.

In Bangladesh, the student protestors formed a political party of their own National Citizen Party (NCP) in February 2025 and contested the February 12 elections in alliance with Jamaat e Islami. The NCP contested 30 seats and got only six. It was a big defeat for the NCP since it proved that the NCP programme and its actions have no endorsement from the people. As against this, the Gen Z protestors in Nepal have not set up any political party of their own. They are supporting RPP and some of them are contesting. In the current poll campaign, the independent voice of Gen Z will not be heard though some of them may focus on fight against corruption.

In October last year, along with the national elections on March 5, talks were held for were held for holding a referendum on some of the major issues relating to eradication of corruption and protection of rights. Karki was expected to take a decision on this referendum issue. On the pattern of Bangladesh which witnessed the polling on referendum also along with Parliament on February 12. But ultimately, this was not endorsed. So, the newly elected government of Nepal after March 5 polls will be deciding on holding of referendum as also framing of a new Constitution if they think so.

Like Bangladesh, Nepalese youth also have failed to take proper follow up actions on the hopes of a new society raised by them during the movement. The Nepalese Gen Z who are very active in social media and many of them earn good money through these platforms failed to put forward a new charter which will excite the people in the country who are fed up with the rule of the same political leaders through shifting alliances for two decades. The March 5 polls again go back to that same set of people against whom the September revolt was held. The only new development is the campaign of the RPP supported by the Gen Z but whose organizational strength is yet to reach every part of the country. Still, it is to be seen whether the RPP under young leaders can perform any miracle in March 5 elections. (IPA Service)

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