The Nepal Students’ Union (NSU), student wing of the Nepali Congress (NC), held its general convention last month almost after a decade. But the NSU committee members were barred from standing for elections. And a similar provision bars committee members of the Tarun Dal, youth wing of the NC, from contesting polls.

As the NC plans to hold the general conventions of the Tarun Dal and Nepal Women’s Association, women wing of the party, within September, some youth leaders have expressed their concerns

that they might be left without any responsibility—in the

sisters wings as well as the mother party.

“Since NSU polls weren’t held for almost a decade, we were already lagging behind in our political career,” said UP Lamichhane, former spokesperson of the NSU. “And the party leadership barred us from contesting the polls, leaving us with no roles in any of the sister organisations. Nor are we finding any role in the mother party now.”

Tarun Dal’s general convention has been scheduled for September 9-11, while Nepal Women Association will hold its general convention on September 14-16.

A group led by former NSU President Ranjit Karna, which has about 100 youth leaders who were barred from contesting polls, is planning to meet senior party leaders to draw the leadership’s attention to their concerns and demand appropriate roles and responsibilities in the party.

They claim that more

than 500 youth leaders will soon be without responsibilities once the conventions of the two sister organisations are concluded.