Rebuilding Nepal’s Political Parties for Democracy

The days when someone would sacrifice their life serving a party and remain a lifelong “karyakarta” are over. That idea no longer works—and it shouldn’t. Among the old guard, almost all top leaders rose through the ranks of a “karyakarta” and therefore believe it is the only way to project leadership. Such a rigid view of political leadership, rooted in hierarchical and legacy-based structures, has weakened parties, harmed democratic health, and undermined national welfare. Partisan reform in Nepal should create organisations that serve as platforms for ideas rather than gatekeepers of power. Many old-school party leaders still assume a loyalist bubble can maintain their relevance, but people have run out of patience and now demand visible, notable, and fast outcomes. Citizens are free to choose.