When a short TikTok clip stating, “Sagar Basante, Krishne, why are you scared? Your elder brother is finally going to apply for Midi (corruption of the Nepali term Myadi, or election police),” resurfaced last week. It reignited nationwide attention around a familiar face. For many young Nepalis scrolling through social media, the slang bravado was instantly recognisable.

Nineteen-year-old Nabaraj Regmi, a resident of Jhugagaun in ward 3 of Banaganga Municipality, first shot to fame during the 2022 general elections, when a TikTok video of him wearing a temporary election police uniform went viral. At the time, he was only 16 and not legally eligible for recruitment.

For Regmi, however, the moment has marked something more concrete now. He finally submitted an application to become an election police officer for the upcoming House of Representative elections scheduled for March 5.

Locally better known by his viral persona “Midi Bhai”, Regmi applied for election police on Thursday at the District Police Office in Taulihawa. “I don’t know whether I will be selected or not,” he said after submitting the form, smiling shyly as officers recognised him. “But at least now I am eligible to apply.”

The uniform that he wore in the viral video belonged to a relative who had taken it off and gone to sleep. Regmi wore it, recorded a video in his village, and delivered the now-famous line in his own improvised style. Within days, the clip had spread across platforms, drawing millions of views.

The popularity came at a cost. Police charged him with public offence and indecent behaviour, citing misuse of police uniform, breach of police dignity and alleged promotion of smoking. Regmi spent nine days in police detention and had to attend court hearings for three months before being acquitted. “At that age, I didn’t know clearly what was right and wrong,” he recalled. “I just wanted to go viral.”

Regmi’s case became a talking point well beyond Kapilvastu. “Everyone was sharing his videos. But when he was arrested, many parents here started warning their children about social media,” said Ram Prasad Chaudhary, a shopkeeper in Jhugagaun.

According to Regmi, that bittersweet experience changed him. “I received a lot of praise online and that excited me. But I also suffered unnecessarily because I crossed legal boundaries. Those nine days in custody taught me discipline and awareness,” he said.

This time, his application coincides with the government’s nationwide recruitment of temporary election police for upcoming polls. Hundreds of young people from rural districts apply for such posts, often driven by short-term income needs, education expenses and limited employment opportunities.

Regmi’s renewed popularity reflects that intersection of youth culture and state institutions. “His language and presentation connect with today’s youth,” said a police officer in Taulihawa, requesting anonymity. “But now he seems more serious.”

Coming from a modest family, Regmi is one of six siblings. His sisters are married, while his elder brother and younger brother live and study in Kathmandu. He completed his Secondary Education Examination from Banaganga Secondary School in Siddhipur and is currently studying Grade 12 in Hotel Management at Morgan International College in Basundhara, Kathmandu. To support his studies, he previously worked as an inDrive motorbike rider and completed a three-month internship at Hotel Yak & Yeti.

Despite his viral fame, Regmi currently owns no functioning phone. “My mobile’s display is broken, the sound doesn’t work, and I don’t even have an active SIM,” he said. “I want to be a content creator, to do vlogging, but I don’t have the minimum equipment required for the same.”

If selected as an election police officer, he says his priority would be practical. “I want to buy a good phone and a laptop,” he said. “Then I can make proper content and build my future.” Asked where his famous catchphrase came from, Regmi laughed. “I don’t know. The words just came out,” he said. “Now wherever I go, people recognise me and tease me with that line.”

For now, the viral youth waits alongside thousands of others, hoping his next chapter will be shaped not by controversy, but by opportunity.