NC's policy priorities must include universal health care, affordable quality education, progressive taxation, rural transformation, climate resilience, green energy, digital governance, and empowered anti-corruption institutions
The recent youth-led protests in Nepal represent more than episodic unrest. While Nepal has achieved procedural democracy – regular elections, constitutional governance, and formal civil liberties – the protests reveal a widening gap between democratic institutions and citizen expectations. Corruption, governance failures, economic stagnation, and eroding accountability point to what political theorists describe as "delegative" or "hollowed" democracy, where electoral legitimacy persists but substantive representation weakens.
For the Nepali Congress (NC), this moment constitutes a critical juncture. As Nepal's principal architect of democratic transition, consolidation, and post-conflict inclusion, the party faces a classic institutional dilemma: whether historically dominant parties can adapt to contemporary change without losing organisational coherence or ideological identity. The NC's response will shape not only its future relevance but also the trajectory of Nepali democracy itself.
The NC's historical durability aligns with theories of party institutionalisation, emphasising adaptability, social rootedness, and normative legitimacy. From anti-Rana resistance to republican transition, and from exile politics to governance, the NC has repeatedly recalibrated in response to systemic shocks.
The 1960 royal coup and the Panchayat era marked a democratic breakdown, yet the NC's response underscores the importance of normative commitment to democracy. Despite repression, exile, and fragmentation, the party sustained non-violent resistance, ideological debate, and organisational continuity.
The NC's foundational leader and Nepal's first elected Prime Minister, B. P. Koirala, shifted from armed struggle to reconciliation in 1976 – an adaptation consistent with "democratic learning."
The Jana Andolan and the 1990 transition illustrate how cross-ideological coalition-building can restore democracy in authoritarian contexts. Under Ganesh Man Singh's leadership, the NC forged strategic alliances with leftist forces while maintaining a constitutionalist orientation. This ideological flexibility distinguished the NC from revolutionary Marxist movements and positioned it as a stabilising force during the democratic transition.
The 1990 democratic restoration marked a successful political transition but also exposed latent structural strains. Under the leadership of newly-elected Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the NC's early efforts at institutional rebuilding and economic liberalisation strengthened parliamentary sovereignty while deepening internal tensions. The post-990 period reveals a familiar paradox of democratic success: once authoritarian threats recede, dominant parties often confront elite factionalism, leadership personalisation, and declining social trust – dynamics that would later undermine party cohesion.
The Maoist insurgency exposed the structural limits of Nepal's post-1990 constitutional order. While the NC remained committed to electoral democracy, state responses oscillated between negotiation and militarisation, illustrating what peace scholars describe as the "liberal peace dilemma," in which formal democratic institutions coexist with deep social exclusion.
The 2005 royal coup created an opportunity for democratic realignment. The NC's role in the Seven-Party Alliance and the 12-point agreement reflects a pragmatic fusion of liberal democracy with republican transformation. By integrating former insurgents into constitutional politics, the NC helped avert democratic collapse and facilitated a negotiated transition – an achievement central to Nepal's democratic resilience.
The promulgation of the 2015 Constitution under NC President Sushil Koirala's leadership marked a milestone in state restructuring, institutionalising federalism, secularism, and inclusion. Yet theories of constitutional legitimacy emphasise that formal inclusion does not guarantee perceived justice.
Simultaneously, the NC's embrace of neoliberal economic reforms weakened its historic social-democratic identity. Privatisation and market liberalisation, while promoting growth, exacerbated inequality and diluted the party's programmatic distinctiveness –contributing to declining trust among younger and marginalised voters.
The 2025 Gen-Z uprising reflects a breakdown in party–society linkage, a central concern in comparative party theory. Unlike earlier movements rooted in ideology or class, this mobilisation is horizontal, digitally mediated, and distrustful of established elites.
The NC's internal response – delayed conventions, leadership disputes, and legal fragmentation – illustrates institutional inertia at a moment demanding agility. While Sher Bahadur Deuba retains formal authority, persistent factionalism undermines the party's capacity to articulate a unified democratic response.
Political theory suggests that long-standing democratic parties renew themselves not through symbolism but through programmatic rearticulation and organisational opening. For the NC, rejuvenation requires transcending patronage networks and embracing inclusive, policy-driven politics.
A renewed democratic socialism – adapted to 21st century realities – must integrate social equity with sustainability and innovation. Policy priorities include universal health care, affordable quality education, progressive taxation, rural transformation, climate resilience, green energy, digital governance, and empowered anti-corruption institutions. Deepening federalism and inclusive representation across gender, caste, and ethnicity remains essential. In foreign policy, strategic autonomy through balanced diplomacy and multilateral engagement is critical.
The 2026 elections present a pivotal opportunity to integrate youth participation, rebuild credibility, and re-establish programmatic clarity.
Democratic consolidation in Nepal now depends on whether the NC can evolve from a party of historical leadership into a party of generational representation. By reasserting ideological coherence, reforming internal institutions, and embracing accountability and inclusion, the NC can once again serve as the principal carrier of Nepal's democratic project – transforming legacy into renewal.