Akanksha Dhami / Nepal News Bank
Kathmandu. The participation of the younger generation in the politics of the Nepali Congress seems to be increasing. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Abhipsa Poudel has filed her candidacy for the post of central member from Bagmati Province. She has presented herself as the youngest candidate in Nepal and said that she has prioritized youth leadership and women’s empowerment.
After filing her candidacy, Poudel said that her goal was to reinforce the people’s trust in the Nepali Congress and further strengthen the party organization. Talking to Nepal News Bank, she said, “It is also my responsibility to bring the declining public trust towards the Nepali Congress in the growing order and strengthen the organization. That is why I have filed my candidacy.” Poudel said that she has always given priority to the youth and women and stressed the need to make women aware of their rights and self-reliant. She said that women should create an environment where they can raise their voice for themselves.
Similarly, she believes that employment and opportunities should be created for the youth in the country. She said that if an environment is created where the youth can build their future by staying in the country, then the compulsion of the youth to go abroad will be reduced and a situation can be created to feel proud while living in the country.
Explaining her reason for entering politics, Poudel said that she has been interested in leading and raising voice for others since childhood.
‘Politics is my passion. I wanted to lead since childhood. I never wanted to sit at the back of the line and always wanted to raise my voice for others. That’s why I came into politics,” she said.
She said politics was a “mind game” and she took it as a challenging and interesting field. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Gaurav Pandey has filed his candidacy for the post of central member of the Madhes Province Youth Cluster at a time when there is a debate to ensure the representation of youths at the party leadership.
According to Pandey, he is a candidate for the post of central member from the youth cluster under 35 years. He said that he will take his candidacy keeping respect for the elders and the support of the youth at the center.
Pandey said he filed his candidacy with the motto of ‘respect for elders and support of youth’.
He insisted on the need of meaningful participation of youths in the NC to address the changing political scenario and growing aspirations of youths.
He said, “I have now given respect to the elders and support the youth. Now that the situation of the country and the political change that has taken place, I have filed my candidacy saying that I am capable of the one quota that the Nepali Congress Party has set aside to ensure the participation of the youth.” Pandey said that the constitution has given the youth the opportunity to represent them from the local level to the federal politics and the youth should participate in the political parties accordingly. According to him, it is necessary to incorporate the thinking and needs of the changing generation in the party’s policies and leadership as the political parties play an important role in the change of the country.
His agenda is to make the Congress tech-friendly, especially in the era of AI and technology, but also to respect the experience and contributions of the older generation.
“My main concern is how the youth of today’s AI-era can make Nepali Congress AI-friendly and how the next generation can take it forward by incorporating the sentiments of the elders,” Pandey said.
He has also prioritized education, policy making, entrepreneurship and self-employment along with technology. Raising the issue of lack of investment-friendly environment in Nepal, he said that research-based studies and policy initiatives are necessary for this.
According to Pandey, the NC needs to formulate policies for the coming days by taking into account not only the sentiments of the youth but also the expectations of millions of party workers. For this, he believes that the participation of youths should not be limited only to formal representation but their role should be increased at important levels of policy making and running of the party. “Technology, education, policy-making, entrepreneurship and self-employment can be included in the party’s future policy by conducting a research-based study,” he said. Pandey, who had filed his candidacy for the post of central member of the Nepali Congress at the age of 23, has also brought to the surface the debate on the entry of the younger generation in the party and the generational change in leadership.
With his candidacy, the issue of how effectively the role of youth will be established in the future leadership and policies of the Congress has become a matter of concern.
Similarly, Binod Raj Joshi of the Far-West has also filed his candidacy for the post of central member from the open category. He said he filed his candidacy to represent the voice, ideas and agenda of the Genji generation at the central level of the party. According to Joshi, his candidature has three main objectives. The first is to bring the voice and ideas of the Genji generation to the central platform of the Congress.
Second, to take the Nepali Congress, which has a long political history, towards transformation and renaissance according to the times. Third, to incorporate the new agenda related to the changing world environment in the policy making of the party.
He pointed out the need for the NC to formulate clear policy on the rapid development of technology, debate from artificial intelligence to super intelligence, changing global geopolitics, climate change and rights of gender minority.
‘New agendas are coming up in the global environment. The development of technology is fast, the geopolitics of the world is changing. We are facing the impact of climate change. My candidature is also to formulate a clear policy of the party on such issues,” Joshi said.
He said that his candidacy is also focused on bridging the distance between the Congress and the new Genji generation in recent times. He said that the party should understand the expectations, ideas and political priorities of the new generation and said that dialogue and cooperation between the two generations is necessary.
Joshi, who was born in Darchula, said that he is proud to be the representative of the Far-West. He said that the Far-West, which has been lagging behind in terms of development for a long time, has great potential in various sectors including tourism, trade and agriculture. Stating that the development process of the far-western region has been slow compared to other regions due to historical, geographical and infrastructure reasons, he said the province potentials should be linked with the national development. Stating that a large number of youths who have come to Kathmandu from the far-west and are working in different sectors, he said that wherever they are, they are connected to the problems and possibilities of their birthplace. He said that the remoteness, social and economic problems and development possibilities of the Far-West should be brought into the national political debate.
Joshi has said that the representation of youths below 35 years of age in the central committee of the Congress will increase after the general convention. According to him, the provision to ensure the participation of youths in the party structure has provided an opportunity to the new generation to come to the leadership.
He said that the youths should play an active and effective role in the party in the coming days and play the role of a ‘bridge’ between the two generations.
According to him, the role of the youth should not be limited to quantitative representation only. The effective participation of the youth is also necessary in policy making, running the party and forming the opinion of the Congress on contemporary issues.
“After the next convention, the youth will play an active and intervening role in the Nepali Congress. The younger generation should play the role of a bridge between the two generations and play a role in building a Congress where the people can trust the Congress again,” Joshi said.
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