Second Innings of Balen and Gagan

Balen Shah’s unexpected rise in Nepal’s recent midterm elections has stunned political analysts and party elites alike. One of the most striking outcomes was the erosion of the left’s dominance in its traditional strongholds, leaving only a handful of leftist representatives in Parliament and filling the new legislature with largely fresh faces. Elections are meant to bring change; people expect something new and better. When Nepal’s established political parties failed to deliver, the electorate reacted strongly.