Opinion | 
By Saroj Ojha| July 25, 2025

Nepal’s political theatre is no stranger to power struggles, ideological contradictions, and fleeting alliances. But what we are witnessing today is not just routine partisan squabbling, it is an implosion from within. The major political parties are not only at odds with their rivals but are also being consumed by internal disputes, factionalism, and leadership crises that threaten both democratic integrity and policy stability.

The oldest democratic party in Nepal, Nepali Congress, is battling its own house fire. The rift between the establishment faction led by Sher Bahadur Deuba and the dissident camp helmed by Shekhar Koirala has become a ticking time bomb. Disciplinary actions against Koirala’s allies have triggered more than just dissent they’ve ignited rebellion. The party appears to be grappling with a paradox: whether to uphold central control or embrace democratic pluralism within its own structure.

The main opposition party, CPN-UML, isn’t in better shape. Former President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s growing political re-entry threatens to overshadow party chair KP Sharma Oli’s authority. As Bhandari positions herself for possible future leadership, Oli is in defensive mode, asserting control while the ideological and generational fault lines within the party continue to widen. Leadership succession, once a backroom affair, is now a power struggle in plain sight.

Led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda", the Maoist Centre faces mounting pressure from both loyalists and reformists. A recent controversy involving senior leader Janardan Sharma, who labeled communist leaders “corrupt,” has intensified calls for internal accountability. This isn’t just ideological sparring—it’s a sign of deeper frustration over unfulfilled promises and entrenched leadership. Even within the Maoists, the revolution seems to have lost its moral compass.

In the relatively young Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), personal ambition is already outweighing collective purpose. Party president Rabi Lamichhane is embroiled in a cold war with co-leaders like Dol Prasad Aryal and Swarnim Wagle. The lack of ideological clarity and the over-reliance on personality-driven politics has created fault lines that threaten to divide this promising political startup before it even matures.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), an ideologically monarchist and religious party, is being dragged down by the tussle between chairman Rajendra Lingden and general secretary Dhurba Bahadur Pradhan. Their internal rivalry reflects not only leadership confusion but also a larger identity crisis—how can a party position itself as both traditionalist and modernist in today’s Nepal?

In the Janamat Party, the discontent is openly mutinous. Allegations of corruption and mismanagement have been leveled against chairman CK Raut by his own colleagues, who accuse him of authoritarian tendencies. The party, which emerged as a voice for Madhesi empowerment, risks collapsing under the weight of its internal contradictions.

Even the CPN (Unified Socialist), led by veteran Madhav Kumar Nepal, is not immune to dissent. The aftermath of their general convention has stirred structural chaos. Prominent leader Ram Kumari Jhakri’s now-infamous “rotting carcass” remark about the party encapsulates the rising frustration among younger cadres eager for change in an organization stuck in inertia.

What emerges from this analysis is a troubling reality: Nepal’s political parties, once founded on robust ideologies and democratic visions, are increasingly driven by personalities, power preservation, and patronage. Leadership struggles have increased factionalism and weakened party coherence. Disciplinary crackdowns have fueled rebellion rather than restoring order. Institutional fragility is undermining policymaking and eroding democratic legitimacy.

Unless political leaders re-center their focus on institution-building and internal coherence, Nepal risks descending into a cycle of unstable coalitions and legislative gridlocks, while critical reforms remain hostage to personal egos and factional bargains. Nepal’s democracy deserves better. And it starts with parties cleaning up their own houses.