Kathmandu, Dec 25 (IANS) Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah was active throughout Thursday, meeting political leaders - mostly from newly formed political parties and Gen Z groups - as he seeks to galvanise support to challenge established political parties ahead of the scheduled parliamentary elections in March next year.

The usually reclusive mayor, who rarely gives media interviews, enjoys a cult following, particularly among young people, due to his efforts to improve public infrastructure in the city and his outspoken criticism of what he calls the “corrupt” leadership of established political parties.

An architect and rapper by profession, Shah was also seen as a kingmaker in the formation of the current government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, following the Gen Z movement in early September.

On Thursday, Shah met several political leaders, but his meeting with Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane was particularly notable, given the growing push from Gen Z leaders to collaborate ahead of the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5 next year.

Lamichhane, whose party emerged as the fourth-largest force in the dissolved House of Representatives, is a former media personality with a strong youth following. He had faced allegations of fraud in cooperative institutions before entering politics and was jailed, but was recently released on bail following a court order. He has since been making efforts to bring together Gen Z leaders and new political forces to strengthen his party’s position ahead of the elections.

Thursday’s meeting between Lamichhane and Shah was their second in the last four days. It was a one-on-one meeting, and Lamichhane appeared visibly elated when he faced the media afterwards. When asked about the meeting, he smiled and said, “What do you think by looking at my face?”

Earlier, RSP leaders said that Lamichhane had even proposed Shah as a candidate for the next prime minister. In addition, Lamichhane and Shah also met with Minister for Energy, Physical Infrastructure, and Urban Development Kulman Ghising, whose supporters have recently registered a political party called the Ujyalo Nepal Party.

Ghising is a popular figure in the Himalayan country and is credited with ending up to 18-hour-long load-shedding during his tenure as head of the Nepal Electricity Authority, the state-owned power utility. The trio has been meeting frequently over the past few weeks, sparking speculation over whether they might join forces to contest the upcoming elections.

Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and several Gen Z leaders also met Shah on Thursday in Kathmandu, saying they emphasised the need for collaboration among new political forces to challenge established parties in the upcoming elections.

“I stressed the importance of collaboration among new political forces during the meeting,” Bhattarai told the media.

An RSP leader told IANS that discussions have taken place between Lamichhane and Shah about jointly moving forward ahead of the elections to challenge established political parties.

Political analysts say Shah’s apparent efforts to galvanise newer political forces could alter the balance of power in Nepal’s politics ahead of the elections.

Over the past two decades, three political parties—namely the Nepali Congress led by former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba; the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), or CPN-UML, led by former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli; and the Nepali Communist Party formed after the merger of the erstwhile CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist), among others, led by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal—have ruled the country alternately.

As people’s lives have remained largely unchanged under these parties and leaders since the end of the civil war in 2006, frustration among young people—many of whom are struggling to find employment—culminated in the recent Gen Z movement that ousted the coalition government led by former Prime Minister Oli.

Now, Gen Z leaders who do not want to see the return of old political parties and leadership at the helm of state affairs are seeking a unifying figure, and Shah and Lamichhane have emerged as such figures in their eyes.

“If Shah and Lamichhane join hands to contest the upcoming elections, they could emerge as strong political forces,” said political analyst Arun Subedi. “This could alter the balance of power in Nepal’s politics by undercutting the dominance of established parties.”

However, Subedi noted that the two have yet to present a clear vision for the country’s economy and foreign policy, and uncertainty remains over how they would govern if they attained power.

“They are more likely to attract protest votes against established parties rather than votes for a clearly articulated vision,” he said.

It did not take long for Lamichhane’s party to emerge as the fourth-largest force in the last parliamentary elections.

“With old political parties and leaders becoming increasingly unpopular, collaboration among new political forces—particularly Shah, Lamichhane, and Ghising—could help them emerge as a strong political force in the next parliamentary elections,” Subedi added.

--IANS

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