Choosing change
Gagan Thapa’s rise through
the ranks was neither a fluke nor was it blessed by someone at the top.
https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2026/02/04/choosing-change
Deepak Thapa
Published
at : February 4, 2026
Updated
at : February 5, 2026 06:48
My frustration with the
unaffiliated voter, of course, has to do with countries where electoral surveys
take place periodically, usually the more mature democracies. Thus, for instance,
in the context of the West, I would often wonder why these people could not
take a stand, either for the left or the right. Especially when the contrast
between the two sides has always been quite stark. Granted that the equation
has flipped nowadays, with the working class boosting the votes of the populist
right even as those with higher education have hewn more towards the
centre-left. The choice, though, remains between apples and oranges.
In my defence, I should say
that we never did have the benefit of such clear-cut distinctions. When we
voted for the first time in 1991, even though the retrograde Rastriya
Prajatantra Party already existed as two factions, the main competitors were
the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML. The former represented the traditionalists
even as it ostensibly claimed democratic socialism as its guiding ideology.
Likewise, the UML was ostensibly a revolutionary force but had come around to
accepting a similar political platform. A faction of the extreme left that
later became the Maoists was somewhat visible as well, but nowhere near
challenging the Congress–UML duopoly. And thus, it has remained,
notwithstanding the post-2006 churnings that have brought in many other
political players into the fray: some national, some regional.
I live in Kathmandu’s
constituency no 1, which for various reasons has come to be viewed as a
prestigious seat and all sorts of characters have staked their political
futures there. As someone whose only firm conviction has been not to back any
party or individual advocating for the monarchy in any manner, I have voted for
parties across the spectrum. The infuriating independent that I am, the choice
has sometimes been based on the identity of the individual candidate, sometimes
the party, and even on who stood the best chance of beating a pro-king
candidate.
This time around, though, I
know I will be voting for the NC candidate in Kathmandu–1, Prabal Thapa. I had
never heard of the man till his name popped up in the news. That is immaterial.
He is getting my vote because he represents the NC, and by extension, Gagan
Thapa (no relation of mine, by the way).
Rooting for Gagan Thapa
Events have moved quickly
since Gagan Thapa’s elevation to the highest post of the Congress in
mid-January. But it was striking that compared to the celebratory and hopeful
mood at the party’s special convention that elected Thapa, how off-putting it
was seeing
the hoary faces of the Sher Bahadur Deuba faction of the central
working committee as they listlessly tried to counter the revolt. I could not
be the only one who felt that those individuals represented everything that had
gone wrong with our politics over the past 35 years. They had outlived their
political lives.
Gagan Thapa’s political
trajectory is well known. From a young student leader pelting stones in the
movement against King Gyanendra’s takeover in 2002 to being among the
first to advocate for the abolition of the monarchy a couple of years
later, to his tenure as a parliamentarian and minister, and then general
secretary of the party, he has jumped from strength to strength. His ouster of
Deuba, who refused to fade away into dignified retirement, was the denouement.
Gagan Thapa’s rapid rise
through the ranks was neither a fluke nor did it come about through someone’s
blessing. In fact, both Girija Prasad Koirala and Deuba tried unsuccessfully to
stymie his rise.
There has always been a
certain dynamism about Gagan Thapa. The way he engages on a range of topics is
evidence of an inquisitive mind. He is among the best-informed politicians we
have, which could not have come about without a committed perseverance to
continue learning. He does have his detractors, sometimes ill-founded, but his
brief tenure as health minister showed him to be a visionary politician willing
to take risks and also capable of delivering. Most importantly, I believe he
has the integrity to lead the country to a better future, the kind of integrity
that led him (and his fellow general secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma) to immediately
take responsibility for being party to enabling the conditions that
led to the Gen Z movement, and resolving to do better going forward.
Generational hope
That kind of trust does not
come easy to those of us who have experienced euphoria at least three times in
as many decades—in 1990, following the end of the Panchayat autocracy; in 2006,
that spelt the end of the Maoist insurgency and the promised of a New Nepal;
and once again, albeit somewhat mutedly, in 2015, with the adoption of the
constitution of a federal Nepal. Although each time our hopes have been dashed,
we have no choice but to dare to dream yet again. And, at this juncture, I
would rather dream of Gagan Thapa being at the helm than anyone else.
Consider the alternatives.
The duo of Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal inspire not a whit. The
Madhesh-based parties have come together yet again to present a united front
that is likely to last till the results are announced. Kulman Ghising’s outfit
has spluttered even before starting. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party is there
somewhere. The UML is still under the iron grip of Oli, and so, the less said
of it, the better. The Rastriya Swatantra Party appears buoyed by the crowds
Balendra Shah is able to draw, but we are yet to know if that is a political
party or a coalition of disparate individuals seeking comfort in numbers. A
smattering of other hopefuls are inconsequential.
Given this plethora of
players all vying for an electorate that is in a sour mood, the upcoming
elections stand out also for being perhaps the first in which no one has dared
come up with any prognosis. Even if they ultimately turn out to be wrong—as
they were in 2008—political pundits are quick to point out trends. But their
silence this time is quite revealing.
That is what the Congress
party under Gagan Thapa is up against. It had the momentum for some time
although seems to be wasting away as election fever gears up. Not all the
Congress candidates inspire confidence either; some unsavoury holdovers from
the ‘old’ Congress have also been fielded.
It is entirely possible that
the Nepali Congress may not get a shot at forming the government. Were that to
happen, it could serve as an opportunity to rejuvenate the grand old party from
the grassroots. For unless someone as promising emerges in the political
firmament, it is my firm belief that Gagan Thapa represents the last hope for a
generation—whether he reaches the top now or in the next election cycle.
Deepak Thapa
Deepak
Thapa has been a fortnightly columnist with The Kathmandu Post since 2009,
writing on a range of topical social and political issues.
https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2026/02/04/choosing-change
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