Gen Z Outside, Reform Inside: Special General Convention offers a rare moment for the NC

KATHMANDU, Jan 12: The Special General Convention of the Nepali Congress (NC) that began at Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu on Sunday marked a conscious departure from the party’s recent political culture. What made the opening particularly telling was not only what was articulated from the stage, but also what was deliberately avoided. There was neither the vendetta of “I will fix this and that,” nor the arrogance of “we brought this down and that down.” Equally symbolic was the absence of full-length portraits of any incumbent supreme leader—an uncommon sight in a party long shaped by personalities rather than institutional norms. The restrained atmosphere conveyed humility and, above all, a genuine desire for change, distinguishing the convention from the power-centric politics that has gradually hollowed out the country’s oldest and largest democratic party.