The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has instructed its committees across Nepal to include at least one person under the age of 40 among the delegates selected for its upcoming central convention. Central Election Committee Chairman Toran Bahadur Gurung issued a circular to the chairpersons of all 77 districts, directing them to ensure youth participation in the delegate selection process in line with the party’s statute and election guidelines.
A mandatory requirement for delegate selection
The directive makes the inclusion of a young delegate a requirement, rather than an optional consideration, for the district-level selection process. Under the instruction, each district committee is expected to ensure that at least one of the representatives it selects for the convention is younger than 40. The requirement applies to committees in all 77 districts, according to the circular issued by Gurung.
The instruction concerns the selection of delegates to the party’s central convention. It does not set out a broader numerical target for youth representation in the summary of the directive, but establishes a minimum requirement: at least one delegate under 40. The age threshold and mandatory inclusion are also reflected in the party’s statute and election guidelines, which the circular follows.
By sending the instruction to district chairpersons, the Central Election Committee has placed responsibility for meeting the requirement within the local delegate-selection process. The circular calls on those committees to account for youth participation as they choose representatives. It therefore makes the age-related provision relevant to the selection work taking place in each district, rather than leaving its implementation to a later stage of the convention.
Convention preparations continue
The directive comes as preparations for the RPP’s upcoming central convention are under way. Delegate selection is a key part of that preparation because the convention will bring together representatives chosen through the party’s district committees. The circular gives those committees a specific requirement to follow while completing the selection process: include at least one representative who is under 40.
The available information does not state the convention’s date or location, the total number of delegates, or the full method used to select them. It does, however, identify the youth provision as part of the party’s existing rules for the process. The requirement is therefore presented not as a separate change to the statute, but as an instruction to implement a provision already contained in the party’s statute and election guidelines.
District committees tasked with implementation
Gurung’s circular was addressed to chairpersons in every district, giving the instruction nationwide reach within the party’s district structure. Those chairpersons are being asked to ensure that the minimum is met when delegates are selected. The central election committee’s direction makes clear that a district’s list of convention representatives must include at least one person below the specified age threshold.
The measure places youth representation directly into the delegate-selection process ahead of the convention. Its immediate effect is to require district committees to consider the under-40 provision while deciding who will represent them. The instruction sets a common minimum across all districts, while leaving the details of the individual selections to the process governed by the party’s statute and election guidelines.
