JHAMJHAMI  ISTACOAT ! Will Ranju Darshana get it? -Stuti Sharma

• Stuti Sharma

Nepal voted in the first local election after a two-decade-long gap. While the vote counting has already begun, the public is excited to know the results, especially of the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. While people were expecting experienced old men from political background to nominate themselves for the position, a girl in her early 20’s belonging to a family with no political background nominated herself as a candidate and became the talk of the town. In the political scenario of Nepal which lacks the representation of youth, Ranju Darshana, a 21 year old came out like a bomb and took all the limelight, by registering her name as a candidate for the position of Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

While she attended the ghardailo karyakrams flaunting a waistcoat (known as “istakot” in Nepal) which happened to be her “chunab chinnah” during the publicity phase of the election, Ranju Darshana became a trending topic from the local chiya dekhi bhatti pasal to international dailies. Positively or negatively, Ranju took the public’s attention by the storm.

Ranju appeared in politics like a ray of light in a dark room. She is the youngest of all the candidates and has greatly inspired the younger generation by voicing the opinion of youth. As a result of Ranju’s “darshan”, the other parties have started addressing and involving the population of youth in their plans. Whether she loses or wins in the election, I believe that Ranju is already a winner because regardless of who gets the power, it’s clear that this time, the voice of the Nepali youths will not be left behind.  While the female President, Parliament Chief and the Judiciary Chief of the country are still struggling for recognition, the 21-year-old came into the political chaos and turned the tables within 2 months of her arrival. An inexperienced girl in her early 20s wooed her audience with her speech, stood fearless amidst the professionals, TV, radios, social media, and national and international dailies. While the women right activists are still fighting over bus seats, Ranju Darshana changed the definition of politics. Amidst the political chaos, many have failed to notice that Ranju Darshana has given birth to thousands of other Ranju’s with a single step.

On the other hand, Ranju has said a lot and made a lot of promises. She has put the blame on the corrupt leaders for the current situation of the country. But never has she spoken about how she plans to bring the change that she has promised for, how she is going to handle the financials, her studies, or survive in the political web. She was Ranju Darshana until some time ago, but now she is a celebrity. People will look up to her and judge her actions. Along with a lot of opportunities, Ranju will have to face a lot of challenges in the days to come. Although her attempt is praiseworthy, it’s time that Ranju stops the blaming game and actually does some work to prove that she is more than Bibeksheel Nepali’s ‘bali ko bakhra’. Thousands of people have their hopes pinned on her, and one wrong step could shatter all their dreams, especially of the younger generation because they have starting coming out of the “politics is a dirty game” mindset with Ranju’s arrival.

The voting has been done and we have yet to see whether Ranju will set the records by winning and becoming the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City or not.

Since the 21-year-old represents the younger generation, I decided to have a conversation with some young people of her age group before they casted their vote to know their perception on “Ranju Darshana.”

Ksihtiz Lamichhane, Age 25

“No, I will not vote for her. She might be trying to bring a change, but this is a marketing tool of Bibeksheel Nepali because they have other leaders in the group who could have done a better job as a politician and are using HER to be highlighted among the public, selfish enough to keep the higher positions for themselves. She can talk and motivate people, but I recently saw her in an interview where she forgot one of her 5 workplans for Kathmandu in front of the media and the public in a national television. This shows her immaturity in the field of politics.

Ranju might have ideas for Kathmandu but she could have tried for the post of Vice-Mayor instead, so that she could learn to exercise the extensive power given to her, step-by-step. Bibeksheel Nepali has intervened in the monotonous political environment, but they should realize that their step might also backfire. Ranju is popular not because of her work, but because of the bad image of the other political parties. The people’s movement that happened a decade ago had also brought many people with potential in power, but they chose to forget all the sacrifices of the public and all the lives lost. So, Ranju should realize that the public knows the difference between saying and actually doing.”

Ridhi Dhoju, Age 24

“Talking about my personal opinion as a voter, I will prefer giving a chance to the newer parties, i.e. Sajha Party or Bibeksheel Nepali since they are fresh in the political scenario. I would have been happy if Sajha and Bibeksheel had combined and got along, but that didn’t happen. So, from my side as a responsible citizen of the country, I see potential in the new ones, and will not waste my vote over someone who have broken our trust in the past. The new parties have raised the voice of the public by addressing realistic problems in their workplans and come out as a big competition to the bigger parties.”

Anuj Bhandari, Age 20

“To me, Kishor Thapa is better. He has worked as a secretary in different ministries and is one of the persons to start the Bagmati cleaning program. He has perfect policies and ideas on the ways to develop the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Meanwhile, Ranju Darshana has no proper policy. Sundarmandu banauchu bhanera matra hudaina, kasari banauchu bhanera pani bhannuparcha. She could be a good politician in the future, but right now she is too inexperienced and has no proper policy and plans to develop Kathmandu. She needs to act like a leader, instead of blaming other leaders. Bibeksheel Nepali has brought Ranju Darshana forward because they had no chance of winning. Until a dynamic youth like Darshana was brought in the limelight, many people had not even heard of Bibeksheel Nepali. Their strategy to appeal the young population with this step has definitely worked out.

Bibeksheel Nepali might have registered itself as a political party, but it lacks the elements of a political party, i.e. proper policy, philosophy, organization, mission, vision, and goals. I see Bibeksheel focusing more on the blame game rather than their goals. Bibeksheel acts more like a pressure group than a political party. They need to realize that Nepali janta laai bhaashan hoina, kaam garera dekhaune manche chaiyeko cha.”

Saina Shrestha, Age 23

“Ranju Darshana? I don’t know much about her but I think one does need experience when it comes to getting into politics. I think she can run in the election few years down the line, but right now I don’t think this is the right time for her. Yes, she has created a wave by shining against the bigger parties, but this is definitely not enough to win. Election is the festival of politics and this election could open a window of opportunity for Ranju to shine brighter in the future.”

Priyata BK, Age 19

“There are so many bigger parties, but still she chose to be involved in a smaller one. The courage and confidence she has shown by standing up for such a responsible post like the Mayor of the capital city is itself a commendable step. In a scenario where the youth take politics as a dirty game and prefer to stay away from it, I take Ranju’s involvement in a positive way.”

Avash Poudel, Age 23

“Ranju Darshana? I have heard her name. But we have yet to see her work, right? For now, your question has reminded me of what Rabindra Mishra had said in a recent interview. Whenever we Nepalese go to a restaurant, we scan the whole menu and at the end order chicken mo:mo like always. So, in this election, I think the majority of people are going to order a plate of chicken mo:mo for themselves.”

Shakti Silwal, Age 23

“As a voter, I would not vote for her if she was in my area because I think she lacks a lot of skills. Neither has she worked in an NGO/INGO and served in rural areas, nor is she a startup founder, or a manager at any place. How can I trust her and believe that she will work responsibly?

Meanwhile, Kishor Thapa has had an experience of over 32 years, working in the government. He was a topper in SLC and is an architect himself. So, in a city like Kathmandu, full of houses, heritage, dust garbage and water problems, his experience would be more useful to us at the moment. He would bring more results than someone who is not yet tested. Unlike him, Ranju is someone, who jumped through all the hurdles and came forward. I salute her for her spirit but I will suggest to try her luck next time. Anyways, I am keen to know how long she will be able to continue with her spirit. If she does not give up, Ranju will definitely come out as a more confident and strong woman in the future.”

Pratik Bajracharya, Age 25

“A political party has certain set of rules and regulations. One needs to struggle a lot to reach a higher position. I think this is why Ranju got involved with the brand new Bibeksheel Nepali than a bigger political party. For instance, Gagan Thapa, who has been involved in politics since a very young age has finally become the Health Minister of Nepal. His journey from a youth leader to a minister was a journey with a lot of struggle. Both Gagan and Ranju rose to fame around the same age, but while Gagan was struggling as a youth leader then, Ranju is fighting for the position of the Mayor of KMC. People like Gagan Thapa, Rabindra Adhikari, Ramkumari Jhakri, etc. have come this far by fighting in the competition and proving themselves. My point here is that Ranju should learn from the story of “The Rabbit and the Tortoise” where the slow and steady tortoise wins the race against the fast and speedy rabbit. My suggestion for Ranju is to stop herself from jumping into a quicksand this time.”

Sandeep Rimal, Age 26

“I think failure is not a prerequisite of success. Those who failed are more likely to fail again than those who succeed. Till now, we have had politicians who have shared their sheer failed experiences. In the context of Nepal, experience is a very dangerous thing. Those who are experienced will not have the guts to do anything to bring a change. A change should start fresh and in the present context, the freshness is Ranju Darshana. Also, I prefer genuine people over professional ones.”

Auchitya Pandit, Age 22

“There are so many people saying that Ranju Darshana deserves to be the Mayor of the city because she is a young woman representing the youth. But after seeing her interviews, comparisons with other candidates, and the manifesto of Bibeksheel Nepali, I feel that she does not have a clear workplan. I think that she does not know the rights and duties of a Mayor to be precise. That suffices to prove the lack of policy and knowledge, although it has set a mark for youth to put forth candidacy.”

Bonita Sharma, Age 24

“Ranju Darshana seems like a breath of fresh air in the usual “jun jogi aayepani kaanai chireko” situation in Nepal’s political scenario. In a country where women have limited role in political leadership, I personally am very excited to witness the fearless spunk in young Ranju. I believe she has become a role model for many young women by competing for one of the major positions in the political system. She has also positively influenced youth to be active participants in politics rather than complaining that it is a dirty game. However, I do feel that she lacks the experience and vision in comparison to the strong candidate.  I hope Ranju will not let the ‘Jhamjhami Istakot’ become ‘Bhyagutalai Istakot’!”