
KATHMANDU: As Nepal votes on Thursday, a generational shift has reshaped the political mood in the Himalayan nation. In Kathmandu and other cities, many Gen Z voters - the cohort that toppled the KP Sharma Oli govt and propelled figures like the 35-year-old (Balen) into prominence - have grown impatient with Nepal's traditional leadership. Yet Oli remains one of the most enduring faces of Nepal's political establishment.
Even after years of turbulence, Oli commands loyalty in Jhapa-5, the constituency along eastern Nepal's border with India that has anchored his national career. This time though Balen has chosen to challenge him in a direct contest, as if to prove a point.