Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah has entrusted Rakshya Bam with the responsibility of uniting Gen Z representatives.
Mayor Shah has given the task to Bam, coordinator of Nepal Gen Z Front, to involve Gen Z youths in the upcoming House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5, 2026.
On Wednesday, Shah held political discussions with various individuals, including Bam, at the residence of his close aide Kumar Byanjankar in Kupandol, Lalitpur. Discussions are continuing on Thursday as well.
In the course of these talks, Gen Z representatives have emerged as one of the stakeholders. Shah wants to include Gen Z representatives in the Desh Bikash Party.
Shah’s personal secretary Bhupadev Shah called Bam for discussions on Wednesday afternoon. The talks with Shah and his secretariat members lasted from around 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
According to a member of Shah’s secretariat, Bam has been tasked with bringing in Gen Z representatives.
"Talks are ongoing. It is certain that the mayor will move forward. The path is open to unite all sides. If there is no unity with anyone, he is prepared to fight alone," the member said. "There is also a plan to bring in Gen Z. Discussions have been held with Rakshya Bam. Preparations are underway to integrate the real teams of Gen Z representatives. Rakshya Bam is coordinating who from Gen Z will join."
The member said that Bam has been given the responsibility of holding discussions with martyrs’ families and various Gen Z groups.
"This is just the beginning. We have taken the first step; let's see what happens. We had always kept dialogue open with alternative forces. We kept getting proposals that new forces need to unite. Accordingly, we talked with the mayor yesterday," Bam told Setopati. "During the conversation, we also discussed whether there is a possibility for alternative forces to stand together. There was talk of uniting with everyone."
Bam said that she sought clarity on three issues.
She said that she spoke for 10 minutes seeking political clarity, where she asked questions about the Constitution, federalism, and a directly elected executive.
"He said that we need federalism, the Constitution is the best, but those implementing it made mistakes. He spoke in favor of democracy itself," Bam said. "There was discussion on a directly elected executive."
Bam said that she was convinced after hearing these answers. She added that Shah also urged her to gear up for the elections.
She said that her options include becoming a proportional representation candidate or contesting the direct election, adding that nothing is certain yet.
Afterward, there were discussions among secretariat members.
"He asked me to talk to all the Gen Z representatives who are interested and hold discussions for that," she said.
On Wednesday, Shah held talks with Nepali Congress leader Chandra Bhandari, Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal patron Resham Chaudhary, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) spokesperson Gyanendra Shahi, Janamat Party Chairman CK Raut, Dr Bhagwan Koirala, and Gen Z activists Bam, Sagar Dhakal, KP Khanal, actor Nischal Basnet, and others.
He chose the Kupandol residence of his close aide Byanjankar as the venue for his meetings.
With the deadline for submitting the closed PR lists for the House of Representatives elections drawing close, Shah has intensified groundwork from his side.
Political parties must submit their closed lists of PR candidates for the House of Representatives election by December 28 and 29.
Shah has become actively engaged in recent times regarding participation in the March 5 election.
