More to RSP’s underage membership than meets the eye

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has ignited a complex debate on political mobilization in Nepal following the revelation that 35,257 of its members are under the age of 18. This disclosure, made during the party's first general convention, has prompted calls for a formal probe from the opposition, led by the Nepali Congress, and raises significant legal and political questions.

Nepal's Political Parties Act 2017 clearly states that the minimum age for party membership is 18, aligning with voter eligibility. Furthermore, the Act Relating to Children, 2018, explicitly prohibits the recruitment of minors for political purposes. The RSP's reported underage membership, constituting approximately 6.7 percent of its total membership, appears to be a direct contravention of these statutes.

The RSP has offered an explanation, citing a 'technical error' where many applicants allegedly entered their birth years using the Gregorian calendar instead of Nepal's prevalent Bikram Sambat (BS) system. The party claims this discrepancy distorted the automated data extraction for their organizational report. While this explanation requires verification, it ironically underscores the transparency of the RSP's digital registration process, which has inadvertently brought the issue of underage political involvement into the formal party registry.

This situation also sheds light on the long-standing practice of 'shadow cadres' in Nepali politics. Traditional parties have historically mobilized youth through student wings, often enlisting individuals as young as 16 and 17. These members, operating through decentralized networks, remained off the official books, shielding the parent parties from legal scrutiny. The RSP, by campaigning against the politicization of educational institutions and eschewing such intermediary student wings, has removed this traditional buffer, making its own minor members traceable and subject to direct examination.