At 21, Umanga Lohani is one of the youngest delegates to the Nepali Congress’s upcoming general convention. Elected from Chitwan constituency-3, he is studying law and involved in policy research. 

Lohani entered politics at the ward level before becoming a regional representative and then a general convention delegate. He is now preparing to contest a seat on the party’s central working committee.

The Congress has reserved 21 central working committee seats for members under 35. Fourteen will be elected through the seven provinces (two seats per province), while seven will be contested nationwide. Seven of the 14 provincial seats must go to women. Candidates can also compete through open and other categories.

Lohani believes the influx of younger members can help modernise the party.

“This time, young people are joining the central leadership, and that is encouraging,” he said. “The convention must recognise their concerns and aspirations and set clear policies on the party’s ideas, organisation, and programmes. There should also be a clear mechanism for people to leave leadership positions. That would keep the party dynamic.”

Ruby Sitaula, 22, was elected unopposed as a convention delegate from Jhapa constituency-2 and plans to contest a central committee position. She got interested in democratic ideas while studying before entering Congress politics. Her family is involved in business, and she says no other family member belongs to a political party.

Sitaula sees last year’s Gen Z uprising as a turning point for the Congress.

“There was deep frustration with the way older leaders were working, and my generation expressed that anger on the streets,” Sitaula said. “The generation led by Gagan Thapa in the Congress understood that anger, and the quotas now set aside for young people have given us an opportunity to compete for the Central Working Committee.”

The movement was followed by stronger calls within the Congress for a generational transition. At a special general convention in December last year, Thapa was elected party president, and the party amended its statute to expand representation for members under 35.

The amended statute reserves positions from ward committees to the Central Working Committee, as well as among regional and provincial representatives and general convention delegates. Nepal’s National Youth Policy defines youth as people aged 18 to 35, and the Congress has adopted the same age group for its reserved representation.

The party says people in this age group are also entering through non-reserved seats. It estimates that nearly 40,000 will take up various responsibilities once all seven levels of its conventions and the general convention are completed. Around 100,000 have competed for positions from the ward level to regional conventions, according to the Congress central office.

Nepal Student Union, the party’s student wing and a major training ground for its leaders, has long been a route into party leadership. Former party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, current president Thapa and Vice-president Bishwa Prakash Sharma are among senior leaders who rose through the organisation.

Its current president, 26-year-old Karuna Katuwal, was elected a general convention delegate from Dhankuta. Under the party’s rules, three delegates under 35 are elected from each constituency, producing 495 through the reserved category. Katuwal estimates that more than 100 others have secured delegate positions through open competition.

“People should be brought in not just through membership, but through trust and a sense of purpose,” Katuwal said. “They should be committed not only to the party, but also to the country and democracy.”

Bhuwan Bhatta, 31, is outside the Gen Z age bracket but says he represents the aspirations of the younger generation. A general convention delegate from Dadeldhura, the home district of former party president Deuba, he is preparing to contest the Central Working Committee from the Sudurpaschim provincial quota.

Bhatta says the Congress was once seen as a party dominated by older people, although its early leadership was relatively young.

“BP Koirala was 38 when he became party president, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai was 36 when he became the Speaker, and Ganesh Man Singh was 36 when he first became a minister,” he said.

“The party listened to the concerns of the new generation during BP’s time, and that helped keep it vibrant. Over time, however, the party began ignoring their ideas and aspirations.”

Bhatta wants the party to give members under 40 a greater role and field more candidates from that age group in coming elections.

Rekha Malla, 22, from Rukum, arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday for the convention. She is not seeking a central position but expects the new delegates to push the Congress to change the way it operates.

She also wants the party to attract people who have traditionally stayed outside politics.

The Congress has introduced a “lateral entry” provision allowing people with expertise in professions and business, including those without previous political involvement, to enter the party. Malla said the provision creates a route from the ward to the central level.

“The same provision should be introduced when candidates are selected for local and provincial elections as well,” she said.

Other delegates include 20-year-old Riza Thapa from Lalitpur-3; 22-year-old Swastika Gautam and 26-year-old Rohit Kapali from Lalitpur-1; Meghraj Thapa from Tehrathum; Barsha Sunuwar from Kailali; and Ashish Giri from Bajura.

Sadiksha Khadka, a general convention delegate from Jhapa, said she was particularly interested in the policies and programmes the party would adopt at the convention.

Political analyst Tula Narayan Shah said the Gen Z uprising had altered Nepal’s political landscape and increased the influence of younger voters and politicians.

“The uprising brought upheaval across the country, so its impact on the Congress was inevitable,” Shah said. He attributed the party’s changing composition to both its leadership and policy changes, saying the special convention had produced “youth-friendly policies” as well as new leadership.

Central committee member Govinda Pokharel also linked the change to both the movement and the party’s decision to reserve organisational positions.

He said many of those entering the Congress appeared to be financially independent, running businesses or otherwise supporting themselves.

“BP Koirala used to say that people entering politics should first become financially independent,” Pokharel said. “In the past, young people entering politics often looked to senior leaders for financial support. This generation seems more interested in contributing to the party than taking from it.”

Pokharel also said some younger members were reassessing the Congress’s economic policies, with some who had previously criticised the party beginning to view parts of its economic approach more favourably.

Central committee member Pratima Gautam said the participation of younger women was another notable feature of the convention. The Congress statute guarantees one-third representation for women from the ward level to the Central Working Committee.

“The entry of young women is particularly significant,” Gautam said, adding that the convention was giving the party a more inclusive composition.