In Nepal, as the nation prepares for parliamentary elections on March 5, the song has become a recurring soundtrack for a people caught in a cycle of “revolutionary disillusionment.” The parallels between George Orwell’s Manor Farm and the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal are no longer just literary—they are a mirror reflecting a grim political reality.
The song of the golden future
The ‘animals of England’ in George Orwell’s world-famous novel ‘Animal Farm’ promised a world where “the ring will disappear from our noses.” What’s more, ‘fruit fields’ shared by all were also on its agenda. For Nepal, those ‘good tidings’ were sung in the revolutions for change of 1990, 2006, and 2015. Each change promised the end of the ‘tyrant’s man’—whether it was an absolute monarchy or an old-guard regime—and the dawn of ‘prosperous Nepal, happy Nepalis’. But these promises remained unfulfilled.
By 2026, however, the chit chatter in tea shops from Jhapa to Kanchanpur reflects the later, darker chapters of Orwell’s novel. Instead of the promised prosperity, the ‘musical chairs’ of leadership rotating between figures like KP Sharma Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal have created a sense of hopelessness among citizens.
The cast of the 2026 ‘farm’
Nepal’s political theater reflects Orwell’s “farm” in four forms. The supreme strategist uses nationalism to defend the stronghold of the loyalists, while a modernizing visionary fights to build a “reform windmill” with the machinery of the old guard. The architects of the past are fighting as the broken ghosts of a people-led rebellion. Finally, the new guard, born of the youth protests of 2025, bypasses propaganda via social media. The final question remains: once holding the keys to the farmhouse, will these new leaders serve the people or will they eventually learn to walk on two legs?
Squealer and the digital barn
In Orwell’s world, Squealer could turn ‘black into white’. In 2026 Nepal, Squealer isn’t a single pig; it is the digital landscape. TikTok warriors and partisan news portals are working overtime to explain why ‘unnatural’ alliances—like the recent sweep of the National Assembly by the NC-UML coalition—are actually ‘victories for stability’.
When the ‘Seven Commandments’ (the 2015 Constitution) are subtly ignored to suit the ruling elite, the digital Squealers are there to repaint the barn wall, convincing the public that “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
The ‘boxers’ of the Tarai and the Gulf
The saddest figure in ‘Animal Farm’ is Boxer, the hardworking horse. In Nepal, Boxer is a migrant worker in Qatar, a farmer in Tarai, and a daily wage earner in Kathmandu. “I will work even harder,” says the modern Boxer, sending remittances home to build a ‘windmill’ (national economy) that never benefits his family. In 2026, the nation’s muscle—its youth—is still being shipped off to the ‘glue factories’ of foreign labor markets. The janitors inside the farmhouse are reaping the fruits of federalism.
The final scene: A mirror at Baluwatar
The 2025 GenZ protests led to an interim government, yet as the March 5 vote nears, the distinction between the ‘Old Guards’ and the ‘New Reformers’ is blurring. At high-level dinners, the revolutionary features of the newcomers seem to be softening into the satisfied jowls of the establishment.
As Nepal heads to the polls, the voters must ask: are we electing leaders to manage the farm for the benefit of all ‘beasts’, or are we simply choosing a new set of pigs to sit at the table? The song of the ‘golden future’ is still being sung; whether it remains a dream or becomes a reality depends on whether the singers can finally stop looking at the farmhouse and start looking at the fields.
In the high-stakes political theater of 2026, the 2015 Constitution of Nepal—once hailed as the ‘unalterable law’ of the new Republic—is undergoing a transformation that feels less like reform and more like a tactical rewrite. Much like the barn wall in Animal Farm, where the ink was subtly altered under the cover of night, the sacred text of Nepal’s democracy is being ‘refined’ by the ruling elite. To see this narrative in action, one must look at how the fundamental promises of the revolution are being adapted to fit the convenience of those currently in power.
From sovereignty to status quo
The rebellion was against the ‘Tyrant Man’, the absolute monarchy. which vests sovereignty and state authority in the Nepali people. In the early days, this was the first commandment: Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. But as we approach the March 2026 elections, critics argue that the political elite have become the very ‘two-legged’ masters they once overthrew. The sovereignty that was supposed to empower the street now seems to reside exclusively within the boardroom meetings of the major party alliances.
Similarly, the promise of equality was the bedrock of the 2015 spirit: Whatever goes upon four legs is a friend. It guaranteed that no citizen would be discriminated against based on caste, religion, or origin. However, the current ‘Great Barn Coalition’ between the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML has created a political environment where some ‘friends’ are clearly more equal than others. Independent voices and GenZ activists find themselves marginalized by a system that prioritizes party loyalty over the inclusive ideals of the Preamble.
The federal bed and the secular cloth
The debate over the structure of the state mirrors the shifting rules in Orwell’s farmhouse. Federalism was the revolution’s hard-won ‘bed’—a place of rest for the diverse ethnic groups of Nepal. Yet, the cost of this bed has become a point of contention. Leaders now argue for centralizing control and reducing the number of provinces, essentially adding ‘sheets’ of bureaucratic convenience to a system that was meant to empower the grassroots.
Even the secular nature of the state is being challenged. Orwell’s animals were forbidden from wearing clothes, symbolizing a break from human vanity. In Nepal, ‘secularism’ was the rejection of the old Hindu Kingdom’s ‘garments’. But in the 2026 campaign, some factions are pushing to return to religious identity, arguing that the "secular cloth" doesn't fit the national character. Like Moses the Raven returning with tales of "Sugarcandy Mountain," these movements offer a nostalgic vision of the past to distract from the economic struggles of the present.
The threshold of equality
In Animal Farm, the rule “No animal shall kill any other animal” was eventually qualified with the words ‘without cause’. In 2026 Nepal, the ‘Right to Live with Dignity’ is being strained by the use of state machinery to stifle dissent. The most subtle edit, however, is the ‘Three percent threshold’ for proportional representation. This is the modern version of the final commandment. While the Preamble still shouts that ‘All animals are equal’, the electoral laws effectively ensure that only the biggest, most established ‘beasts’ can reach the grain silo of parliament. As the 2026 elections draw near, the people are left staring at a barn wall where the original revolutionary paint is fading, replaced by a new set of rules that look remarkably like the ones they fought to erase.
