KATHMANDU: The Gen-Z–led movement of September 8 and 9, 2025, marked a turning point in Nepal’s political discourse, urging long-entrenched leaders to step aside and allow a new generation to emerge.
Yet, despite the clear public signal, most senior political figures have opted to remain firmly in the electoral arena. Despite public pressure, CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Communist Party (NCP) coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ continued their grip on power.
Oli secured re-election as party chair through the UML’s 11th General Convention, while Prachanda consolidated influence by merging 20 parties to form the Nepali Communist Party. Meanwhile, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba also faced growing demands to step aside.
Although Deuba attempted to ease internal pressure by appointing Purna Bahadur Khadka as Acting party President, party general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma later sidelined him through a special general convention.
Deuba was effectively removed from both party leadership and parliamentary politics and was denied a ticket from his traditional constituency, Dadeldhura. At over 80, Deuba’s decades-long political career came to an abrupt halt.
Alongside him, Nepali Congress also closed the door on his wife Arzu Rana Deuba, who had previously played a key role in ticket distribution under both proportional and direct systems. Since the special general convention, she too has been pushed to the political margins.
This time, both the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have fielded new faces in the constituency. The Congress has nominated women’s rights activist Meena Kharel, while UML has put forward young leader and democratic singer Ashwin Ghimire. However, defeating Lamichhane in Chitwan, now considered a stronghold of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), remains a formidable challenge.
While Nepali Congress moved on from Deuba, UML chair Oli, NCP coordinator Prachanda, and Madhav Kumar Nepal have all returned to the electoral race. Although leaders such as Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam have stepped back, other senior figures remain determined to return to Parliament. Janamorcha leader Chitra Bahadur KC, now over 80, is also seeking entry through the proportional representation system, despite winning a direct seat from Baglung in 2022.
Leaders who have dominated Nepali politics for three to four decades are again contesting elections, despite the youth-led demand for change. Whether voters will once again endorse them or opt for new leadership will only be clear after the election results. However, past trends suggest that established leaders still enjoy significant electoral advantage.
Oli surrounded by Balen
KP Sharma Oli, who became prime minister for the third time on Asar 16, 2082 through a Congress-UML alliance commanding nearly a two-thirds majority, was later forced out amid the Gen-Z movement. As protests turned violent, Oli was airlifted from Baluwatar to A Nepali Army barracks. Although the movement signaled that it was time for him to take a political break, Oli has once again entered the parliamentary race after receiving party endorsement.
This time, he faces a high-profile challenge in Jhapa-5 from Balendra Shah (Balen), a senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RS). Buoyed by the party’s decision to project him as a prime ministerial candidate, Balen has taken on Oli directly in his long-time stronghold.
Balen resigned mid-term as Kathmandu Mayor, abandoning his earlier local-level commitments to contest the federal election. The contest in Jhapa-5 is shaping up as a generational clash, with youth voters gravitating toward Balen and traditional voters largely backing Oli.
Balen is currently campaigning in Damak, where, according to his secretariat, he met around 400 voters in a single day. Rather than actively canvassing, voters reportedly lined up at his residence, including supporters from UML and Nepali Congress. In contrast, Damak Mayor Ram Thapa and other local leaders have publicly backed Oli, prompting Balen’s team to court support from Rastriya Prajatantra Party workers.
A member of Balen’s campaign team claims that Oli’s defeat is likely, arguing that while the margin may be narrow, the momentum favors Balen. UML Jhapa chair Prem Giri, however, strongly rejects that claim, asserting that Oli’s development record makes him unbeatable in the constituency.
RSP Jhapa secretary Shambhu Suskera, on the other hand, predicts a decisive victory for Balen, claiming he could secure more than 60,000 votes.
Historically, Jhapa-5 has been Oli’s political bastion. He won the seat in 2074 BS with 57,139 votes and again in 2079 BS with 52,319 votes, defeating Nepali Congress candidate Dr. Khagendra Adhikari. Oli has represented the constituency since 2048 BS, except in 2064 BS, when he lost during the Maoist surge to Bishwadeep Lingden, now a Nepali Congress leader.
As the election approaches, the Oli-Balen contest has emerged as a defining test of whether Nepal’s voters are ready to replace long-entrenched leaders—or reaffirm their dominance once again.
Gagan Thapa faces challenge from Amaresh in Sarlahi-4
Leaving Kathmandu Constituency No. 4, Nepali Congress (NC) President Gagan Thapa has entered the electoral race from Sarlahi Constituency No. 4. Due to his busy schedule, Thapa registered his candidacy through a representative.
His principal challenger is former Nepali Congress leader Dr. Amaresh Kumar Singh, who had contested as an independent candidate in the 2022 elections. Singh told Khabarhub that defeating Thapa would require little effort, claiming that he already enjoys strong local support in Sarlahi-4.
However, political observers believe Thapa may still secure votes from long-time Congress supporters and voters from other parties, particularly after he rose to party leadership through a special general convention by mobilizing an alternative faction within the Congress.
Besides Thapa and Singh, the constituency features several other contenders. Rabi Singh Kushwaha is contesting from CPN-UML, Dr. Ragnishray Yadav represents the Nepali Communist Party, and Rameshwor Ray is the candidate from the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP-Nepal) led by Upendra Yadav, a party with a strong base in Madhesh.
In the 2022 election, Singh won the seat with 20,017 votes, defeating Nepali Congress candidate Nagendra Kumar Rayee by a margin of 1,764 votes. Having recently joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Singh was widely expected to retain the seat this time as well. However, Thapa’s entry has altered the electoral equation, even though Singh remains dismissive of the challenge.
“How can someone who keeps changing constituencies win here?” Singh asked. “What has Gagan done for Sarlahi-4 that voters should elect him?” Following the high-profile contest in Jhapa, Sarlahi-4 has now emerged as another closely watched battleground.
Smooth path for Prachanda in Rukum East
While electoral excitement is building in Jhapa and Sarlahi, NCP coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ appears to face a relatively comfortable contest in Rukum East. Having abandoned Gorkha-2, Prachanda filed his nomination in Rukum East, a long-standing Maoist stronghold, where he appears confident of victory.
A three-time prime minister, Prachanda has changed constituencies six times and chose Rukum East to consolidate his political future after facing pressure from the Gen-G movement to step aside. Compared to his narrow contest in Gorkha-2 in 2022, he is seen as electorally stronger in Rukum.
However, challenges remain. With a new election symbol following party realignments, Prachanda may face some voter confusion. CPN-UML has fielded its outgoing district chair and central committee member Leelamani Gautam against him.
Nepali Congress candidate Kusumdevi Thapa Magar and Progressive Democratic Party nominee Sandeep Pun, son of a ‘People’s War’ martyr and a leader close to Janardan Sharma, could also split votes.
In the 2022 election, Maoist Center candidate Purna Bahadur Gharti won the seat with 12,262 votes, while Nepali Congress contender Kaushal Kumar Malla secured 5,211 votes.
Prachanda has previously contested from Rolpa-2, Siraha-5, Chitwan-3, Kathmandu-10, and Gorkha-2. Critics accuse him of repeatedly shifting constituencies to ensure political survival, an allegation he counters by saying Rukum played a historic role in establishing the federal democratic republic and deserves recognition as a political center.
Madhav Nepal’s test in Rautahat-1
NCP co-coordinator Madhav Kumar Nepal, who won from Rautahat Constituency No. 1 in the 2022 election, is contesting again from the same seat. Nepal has remained electorally active since 2056 BS and declined to step aside despite pressure from the Gen-G movement.
After splitting from UML to form the Unified Socialist, Nepal later joined Prachanda and 20 other parties to form the NCP alliance. Although he lost from Kathmandu-2 and Rautahat-4 in the 2064 BS Constituent Assembly elections, Rautahat remains his political base.
This time, Nepali Congress has fielded Anil Jha, formerly of the Sadbhavana Party, while the Rastriya Swatantra Party has nominated Rajesh Chaudhary. Despite these challenges, Nepal remains confident. “There is no reason for me to lose,” he said. “We will win with a larger margin than last time.”
However, his campaign may be affected by the ongoing corruption case related to the Patanjali Yogpeeth land deal, currently under consideration by the Special Court. A complaint was also filed at the Election Commission on Wednesday. Although Nepal was earlier released on bail, the unresolved case could influence voter perception as the campaign progresses.
Third electoral test for Rabi Lamichhane
Rabi Lamichhane faced a tense day on Tuesday as proceedings in the cooperative fraud case continued at the Parsa District Court. Balancing court hearings on one hand and the deadline to file his candidacy from Chitwan Constituency No. 2 on the other, Lamichhane was unable to appear in person to register his nomination and instead filed through a representative.
Despite the legal pressure, Lamichhane remains defiant. He deposited Rs 10 million as bail at the Parsa District Court on Tuesday and has already deposited more than Rs 8 million in various courts in connection with cooperative fraud cases. His supporters insist that the legal troubles have not weakened his political standing in Chitwan-2.
The Rastriya Swatantra Party has again nominated its Jhapa district president, Prakash Pathak, who also contested from the constituency in the previous election. Meanwhile, the candidacy of Balendra Shah-backed alternative forces in neighboring Jhapa-5 could indirectly influence voting patterns in Jhapa-3. Still, local sentiment suggests Lingden remains the frontrunner.
This time, both the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have fielded new faces in the constituency. The Congress has nominated women’s rights activist Meena Kharel, while UML has put forward young leader and democratic singer Ashwin Ghimire. However, defeating Lamichhane in Chitwan, now considered a stronghold of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), remains a formidable challenge.
In the 2022 general election, Lamichhane won Chitwan-2 with 49,300 votes. Congress candidate Umesh Shrestha finished a distant second with 14,978 votes, followed closely by UML’s Krishna Bhakta Pokharel with 14,652 votes. After leaving journalism, Lamichhane formed the Rastriya Swatantra Party and entered Parliament, later becoming Home Minister.
However, his parliamentary position was annulled in 2079 BS due to a dual citizenship dispute, stripping him of all elected and ministerial posts. He returned to the polls in the Chitwan-2 by-election held in Baisakh 2080 BS and secured an even stronger mandate, winning 54,176 votes. His nearest rival, Congress candidate Jit Narayan Shrestha, managed only 11,214 votes, while UML’s Ram Prasad Neupane secured 10,936 votes.
Despite this landslide victory, Lamichhane was again barred from assuming office and was later suspended in Poush 2081 BS amid charges related to cooperative fraud, organized crime, and money laundering.
RSP Vice Chair DP Aryal remains confident, claiming Lamichhane will win Chitwan-2 with more than 60,000 votes this time. “Public support for President Lamichhane is stronger than ever,” Aryal said.
Rajendra Lingden’s stronghold in Jhapa-3
Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chairman Rajendra Lingden is contesting from Jhapa Constituency No. 3, where he appears confident of victory. Political observers believe that dissatisfied factions within both the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML may tilt in his favor.
UML has nominated Hari Rajbanshi, while the Nepali Congress has fielded Rajendra Ghimire, a youth-favored leader close to Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa. Senior Congress leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who previously contested from the seat, is not in the race this time, contributing to internal discontent within the party.
The Rastriya Swatantra Party has again nominated its Jhapa district president, Prakash Pathak, who also contested from the constituency in the previous election. Meanwhile, the candidacy of Balendra Shah-backed alternative forces in neighboring Jhapa-5 could indirectly influence voting patterns in Jhapa-3. Still, local sentiment suggests Lingden remains the frontrunner.
In the 2022 election, Lingden, then in alliance with UML, won the seat with 40,648 votes, narrowly defeating Nepali Congress candidate Krishna Sitaula, who secured 37,272 votes. Lingden had earlier defeated Sitaula in the 2074 BS election with UML support, securing 44,614 votes. However, Sitaula had prevailed in the 2070 Constituent Assembly election.
Having entered politics in 2036 BS, Lingden rose through the ranks during the Panchayat era and served as chairman of Goldhap Village Panchayat. Elected RPP chairman in 2078 BS, he is widely regarded in Jhapa as a simple, development-oriented leader with a strong grassroots base.
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