Looking at the current state of governance and delivery, there is little doubt that Nepal needs alternative politics. Much of what is wrong today stems from the murky backroom deals that characterise the way power is acquired and patronage dispensed.
The entire eco-system of politics has been hollowed out by a corrupted establishment where no one has to atone for any misdeed, and there is little accountability. A failed three-time leader can rise to be chief executive yet again. This is why the idea of an alternative political force is being seriously considered.
Bibeksheel Nepali Dal and Sajha Party have been set up by motivated individuals who want an overhaul and detoxification of the political system. Since they were fighting for the same space, it made sense for the two to contest local elections together. A few of us even got together to try to convince the two parties to at least field common candidates for Kathmandu Municipality. There was pressure from social media, too. But it did not work. When electoral considerations prompted arch-rivals like the Maoists and the NC — and even the RPP and UML — to collaborate, Sajha and Bibeksheel were contesting separately. This was a mistake but despite that, many of us secretly hoped they would do well. As the results so far have shown, that expectation was far-fetched.
However, one clear impact of the election result seems to be a realisation within both parties that their future depends on a common struggle. That is a positive sign. However, a merger without analysing the causes for their poor showing could mean the two parties could learn the wrong lessons.
A section of the Kathmandu intelligentsia have concluded that the poor performance of the two parties in local elections was due to their lack of a strong ideological base. They assumed people vote for ideologies. However, the conduct of politics today and the formation of electoral alliances between parties diametrically opposed in ideology proves the opposite.
Despite the political chaos visible on the surface, there is at least an understanding that the basic framework of liberal democratic values is the common ground. This in a way resolves a lot of the ideological confusion: what remains is just a difference of degree over preferences for political labels. The assumption that the new parties have not done well in elections because they lack a clear political ideology, therefore, does not hold.