Sudan Gurung, the Nepal protest leader who spearheaded the Gen Z uprising that toppled the previous government, has declared his intention to contest the upcoming March elections on Saturday, September 27, 2025. The 36-year-old activist outlined plans to field candidates as a collective force, aiming to forge a “people’s government” amid ongoing demands for accountability over protester deaths and graft.
The announcement, made in Kathmandu, underscores a generational push to reshape Nepal’s politics before polls slated for early March 2026.
Why It Matters
In a region where youth disillusionment fuels unrest from Bangladesh to Pakistan, the Nepal protest leader’s electoral gambit could herald a broader wave of millennial and Gen Z influence across South Asia. By challenging entrenched elites, Gurung’s bid risks deepening divides but also promises fresher governance, potentially stabilising Nepal’s fragile democracy and influencing neighbours grappling with similar corruption woes.
Nepal Protest Leader’s Meteoric Rise
The Nepal protest leader, Sudan Gurung, emerged as an unlikely icon during the tumultuous events of early September 2025. What began as a targeted backlash against the government’s abrupt blocking of social media platforms, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, swiftly escalated into a nationwide revolt. Authorities had cited the platforms’ failure to register and comply with oversight requirements, but young demonstrators decried it as an assault on free expression.
The protests, predominantly led by Gen Z activists under the banner of Hami Nepal, a group boasting over 160,000 members, spread like wildfire across Kathmandu and beyond.
Demonstrators torched government buildings, including sections of parliament, in a display of raw fury over systemic issues: rampant corruption, nepotism, and a political class perceived as out of touch with the youth. The crackdown was swift and severe, with state forces deploying tear gas and live ammunition, resulting in at least 72 deaths and thousands injured.
Gurung, a former IT consultant with no prior political pedigree, became the face of this fury. Coordinating via unconventional channels like the gaming app Discord’s “Youth Against Corruption” server and Instagram, he rallied supporters in virtual debates that drew over 10,000 participants, including the Nepali diaspora.
These digital forums not only amplified grievances but also innovated governance: a livestreamed poll on YouTube and Discord ultimately selected Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first female interim prime minister, to steer the country through the crisis.
“They have dragged us into politics,” Gurung told Al Jazeera in the interview. “If it’s politics they want, that’s what they’ll get. We will be running for the next election because we are not going to back down now.” His words capture the defiance that propelled the movement to topple Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s administration within days, forcing President Ramchandra Paudel to dissolve parliament and install the interim setup.
Charting a Course for the Upcoming March Elections
With the ink barely dry on the interim government’s mandate, Gurung has pivoted from street agitator to aspiring lawmaker. He envisions his “movement for change” not a conventional party, contesting the upcoming March elections as a unified bloc. “If I just run as an independent candidate, we won’t have this force of youths,” he explained. “Together, we are stronger.”
The strategy targets proportional representation seats to maximise youth turnout, estimated at over 40% of eligible voters. Gurung’s platform centres on eradicating impunity: he has urged Interim Prime Minister Karki to expedite probes into corruption scandals and the killings of protesters. “We’ll be sure that the investigation is done properly, on time, so that they won’t participate in the elections,” he insisted, referring to implicated politicians from the ousted regime.
This electoral foray arrives against a backdrop of heightened tensions. Gurung has faced veiled threats and intimidation attempts, including efforts to discredit his citizenship. Yet, he remains undeterred: “I’m not scared … just killing me won’t do anything. I need to save my nation because it’s now or never.” He also signalled a pragmatic foreign policy, emphasising mutual respect with powerhouses India and China: “We need to respect them, they need to respect us.”
As mobilisation ramps up nationwide, Gurung’s group is already scouting candidates from protest ranks, teachers, students, and tech workers – to embody the Gen Z ethos. Analysts note this could disrupt the dominance of legacy parties like the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, which have alternated power since Nepal’s 2008 transition to republicanism.
The Digital Backbone of Revolution
Central to the Nepal protest leader’s success was leveraging tech for egalitarianism. When Discord servers buckled under traffic, organisers seamlessly shifted to YouTube streams, ensuring inclusivity. This “more egalitarian” approach, as one Hami Nepal coordinator described it, bypassed traditional hierarchies and debunked smears, such as false claims linking Gurung to the disgraced foreign minister.
Background: Nepal’s Cycle of Instability
Nepal’s polity has long teetered on the edge, with five governments in eight years prior to the September upheaval. The 2015 constitution promised federalism and inclusion, yet delivery lagged, breeding cynicism among the under-30 demographic, over 50% of the population. Oli’s social media clampdown, enacted on September 1, 2025, at 2:00 PM, proved the final straw, igniting a firestorm that exposed deeper fissures.
The interim cabinet, sworn in on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at Singha Durbar, holds a six-month window to restore order and pave the way for polls. Karki’s selection via youth poll marked a historic nod to gender equity, though challenges persist: economic stagnation, with GDP growth at 4.2% for fiscal 2024/25, and border frictions with India.
What’s Next for the Nepal Protest Leader
As the upcoming March elections loom, Gurung’s faction eyes alliances with civil society while steeling against backlash. Success could redefine South Asian youth activism; failure might embolden crackdowns. Either way, the Nepal protest leader has injected urgency into a ballot box long dismissed as rigged. “I won’t say I am the right person right now … but if the people choose me, I am definitely going to run,” he reflected, encapsulating a movement poised on the brink of transformation.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, September 28th, 2025
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