By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
The year 2025 has been a year of political turmoil in the country. We witnessed squandering and wrangling over power sharing among parties of all hues—something which is not unusual in this part of the world. But the significant political event was the Gen Z protest that ousted the Oli-led government and the subsequent formation of an interim government under the leadership of former Chief Justice Sushila Karki. The youth-led protest was viewed as the beginning of a new beginning, laying the foundation for a new and prosperous Nepal. More than four months later, questions are being raised over the Gen Z protest, as it seems to have deviated from its core objective.
While Gen Z protests remain the key political event of the year 2025, the recent bonhomie among the incumbent mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balen Shah, the energy minister in the present cabinet, Kul Man Ghising, and the chair of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party, Rabi Lamichhane, has stolen the limelight towards the end of the year. Media reports say that the trio is leaving no stone unturned to come together under one roof and form a unified force to address the problems plaguing the nation.
Just a few days ago, the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Balen Shah, mobilized his close associates to form the Desh Bikash Party, which has been registered with the Election Commission, while Kul Man Ghising has already registered the Ujyalo Nepal Party with the Election Commission. The report also said that the duo had talks that also included Kul Man.
Close aides from both sides, including Balen’s chief advisor Kumar Byanjankar and RSP leaders Asim Shah and Asif Shah, were working on a written draft of the agreement. Now, the deal has been finalized. The proposed power-sharing agreement would allocate 40 per cent to the RSP, 25 per cent each to Balen and Kul Man, and 10 per cent to the Gen Z activists. The preliminary report suggests that Rabi Lamichhane is tipped to remain the president of the party. The “Bell,” which gained an attractive number of public mandates in the last election, will likely remain its official symbol. Given the stepped-up effort on the part of the three individuals, they have merged.
The move, according to media reports, aims to displace the long-standing dominance of traditional forces like the Nepali Congress, UML, Maoist Centre, etc. The unified political force also aims to offer itself as an unfired force challenging the status quo. For this, the trio have been reaching out to each other, holding marathon discussions and plenums. Given the existing enthusiasm among the three individuals and intensified efforts, the formation of a unified force is likely to turn into a reality very soon.
Well, this is not the first time we have come across such a merger and formation of a unified force pledging to challenge the status quo. Over the years, we have witnessed several such mergers telling people that they will transform the nation socio-economically and politically. The two communist parties could not withstand each other over power sharing and dissociated immediately after the differences reached the helm. Similar was the fate of the Bibeksheel Sajha Party—the unification of the Sajha Party and the Bibeksheel Party. The party split following a simmering dispute between two factions. The merger of the Maoist Centre and UML and the Sajha Party with Bibeksheel Nepal are just a few examples. There are several others.
Many view the urgency for this new unified force as a response to the growing rumor over a grand alliance of the Nepali Congress and UML for the upcoming election. Political pundits argue that the trio are very calculative politicians, having a tendency to change their position in line with the context. Their arguments are justifiable given the fact that Balen rejected the proposal to lead the interim government, saying he does not intend to become prime minister for five months. Rabi and Kul Man are no different either. Both have the capability to cash in on the situation for their personal benefit.
But the primary question is whether the unified party will live up to its mandate and people’s expectations. The other key question is whether they will rise above partisan interests for the broader sake of the nation. Only time will answer these questions.
The would-be unified political party needs to take some key issues into account very seriously. To start with, the issue of power sharing within parties of any hue has always remained the key factor driving wedges among them. Political leaders quit parties over power sharing. No doubt, the power-sharing agreement has allocated positions within the unified force. But given our politicians’ experience, they are very unlikely to abide by the agreement. Such an incident should not happen in the unified force.
The unified force consists of three individuals with diverse backgrounds and political experience. The mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City does not directly communicate with people. Rather, he uses social media to vent his anger and frustration. On the other hand, Rabi Lamichhane loves to reach out to people and talk to them in person, and Kul Man Ghising also has similar traits. These behavioural differences should not be allowed to create a rift among them. This is where they need to be very careful.
Finally, they cannot afford to fool the innocent Nepalis who have been kept in the dark by leaders of traditional parties for decades. The trio has a huge responsibility to address the problems facing the country. High-voltage corruption, abuse of authority, poverty, and unemployment are the key challenges staring us in the face. Likewise, poor governance and ineffective service delivery, inequality, and grave violations of human rights are other challenges on display. We hope that a unified force would address these key challenges, laying the foundation for a prosperous and bright Nepal for future generations.
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