The political upheavals in South Asia over the past couple of years have revealed a striking generational shift. In Nepal, Gen Z activists and organizers achieved a peaceful electoral victory that reshaped the country’s political landscape. 

In Bangladesh, the same generation—fresh from toppling the autocratic Hasina regime on August 5, 2024—entered the 2026 election with high expectations. The Awami League (AL) that ruled the country since 2008 by consolidating power through fraudulent means and repressions of political opponents, was banned from taking part in the polls. Preelection surveys suggested that the National Citizen Party (NCP), a youthdriven movement, would perform strongly, especially in the 11party alliance with JamaateIslami (JI). The JI-led 11-party alliance was projected to secure at least half the seats, as young voters (18–37 years old) who make up 44 per cent of the electorate were likely to determine the outcome, along with undecided voters. Meanwhile, nearly 48 per cent of AL voters were shifting to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), long tainted by corruption and dynastic politics.

However, the results defied expectations. The 11party JI–NCP alliance won a total of 77 seats: JI secured 68, NCP managed only 6, and the remaining seats went to smaller coalition partners. The BNP, in contrast, won a landslide 212 seats, giving it a two-thirds majority. Voter turnout was low, with only 59.44 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots. Many observers described the outcome as “election engineering,” while others suggested that AL supporters shifted their votes to the BNP, often viewed as the old regime’s B-team. 

Yet even with these structural distortions, the central question remains: why did Nepal’s Gen Z succeed where Bangladesh’s Gen Z stumbled? And what lessons can Bangladeshi youth draw from Nepal’s example?

This essay explores three dimensions of the contrast: organizational strategy, political culture, and institutional environment.

1. Organizational strategy: Nepal’s cohesion vs. Bangladesh’s fragmentation

One of the clearest differences lies in how youth movements organized themselves.

Nepal: Unified, disciplined, and strategically patient

Nepal’s Gen Z activists spent years building networks across universities, civil society groups,........

© Eurasia Review