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09 Mar 2026 : Generational shift

Article 2: Generational shift

Why in news: Nepali voters supported the Rastriya Swatantra Party due to frustration with corruption, unstable coalition politics, economic hardship, and entrenched elites, while youth-led protests demanded generational change and cleaner governance.

Key Details

  • Historic mandate: Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), formed only four years ago, won a majority of the 165 directly elected seats and about 50% of proportional votes in the March 5 elections.
  • End of traditional dominance: The result decimated long-dominant parties such as those led by K.P. Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Sher Bahadur Deuba, known for unstable coalition politics.
  • Youth-driven political shift: The victory reflects the impact of the 2025 Gen Z protests, which demanded an end to corruption, patronage politics, and political stagnation.
  • Rise of Balendra Shah: The 35-year-old leader and former Kathmandu mayor became the RSP’s prime ministerial candidate, defeating Oli by nearly 50,000 votes in Jhapa.
  • Reform expectations: Voters expect institutional reforms, cleaner governance, and economic revival, though Shah’s technocratic and controversial mayoral record raises caution about future governance.

Decisive Electoral Shift

  • Nepal, which has experienced political instability since the restoration of multiparty democracy in 1990, has finally delivered a clear electoral mandate.
  • In the March 5 elections, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)—a party formed only four years ago—won a majority of the 165 directly elected seats in the House of Representatives.
  • The party also secured around 50% of the proportional representation votes, significantly weakening traditional political parties that dominated Nepali politics for decades.

Earlier Majority Governments and Instability

  • The 2017 elections, the first held under the 2015 Constitution’s federal system, had also produced a strong mandate.
  • The Left Alliance, comprising the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) led by K.P. Sharma Oli and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, won nearly a two-thirds majority.
  • These parties later merged to form the Nepal Communist Party, but the Supreme Court annulled the merger in 2021.
  • After the split, Nepal returned to unstable coalition politics, with frequent changes in Prime Ministers including Oli, Dahal, and Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Impact of the 2025 Gen Z Protests

  • Persistent corruption, patronage politics, and elite power struggles triggered a youth-led Gen Z uprising in 2025.
  • The protests forced K.P. Sharma Oli to resign, leading to the formation of a caretaker government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki.
  • The caretaker administration successfully conducted peaceful elections within a short timeframe, paving the way for the current political transition.

Balendra Shah and the RSP’s Rise

  • The entry of Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old politician and former rapper, significantly boosted the RSP’s electoral prospects.
  • Shah first gained prominence after winning the Kathmandu mayoral election in 2022 as an independent candidate.
  • After joining the RSP in January, he became its prime ministerial candidate.
  • In the election, Shah defeated veteran leader K.P. Sharma Oli by nearly 50,000 votes in Jhapa, Oli’s stronghold.

Youth Mandate and Political Message

  • Shah emerged as the symbol of the Gen Z demand for generational change in leadership.
  • The RSP’s sweeping victory, including all 15 seats in the Kathmandu Valley, reflects the frustration of young voters.
  • The verdict is widely interpreted as a rejection of entrenched patronage networks, corruption, and economic stagnation that have pushed many Nepalis to seek employment abroad.

Challenges Ahead

  • Despite the overwhelming mandate, it remains uncertain whether the RSP and Balendra Shah can deliver institutional reforms and economic revival.
  • Shah’s mayoral tenure in Kathmandu faced criticism for being technocratic and insufficiently sensitive to poorer sections of society.
  • Therefore, while the electoral result signals hope for political renewal, it also calls for cautious optimism about the party’s ability to govern effectively.

Conclusion

Nepal’s election marks a major political shift, with voters rejecting entrenched elites and endorsing a young, reform-oriented leadership. The rise of the Rastriya Swatantra Party reflects deep frustration with corruption and instability. However, converting this mandate into stable governance, institutional reform, and economic revival will be the real test, requiring careful leadership and inclusive policymaking.