The future of federalism in Nepal

Nepal’s path to stability, unity and prosperity lies in institutionalising and improving it.

Nepal’s federalism emerged from decades of political struggle, social movements and demands for equality and inclusion. Although formally adopted only in the 2015 Constitution, the idea is more than 70 years old. Its roots go back to 1952, soon after the fall of the Rana regime, when Madheshi leaders involved in the 1951 democratic movement first proposed a federal structure to protect the Tarai-Madhesh’s identity. When the Nepali Congress leadership rejected this, leaders such as Kulananda Jha and Ramjanam Tiwari formed the Nepal Terai Congress, which, a few years later, formally demanded regional autonomy, marking the beginning of Nepal’s federal journey.