Book on Democracy and Elections by Former Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapaliya Launched

Kathmandu. The book 'Bichitroko Loktantra: Gajabko Nirwachan' (Strange Democracy: Wonderful Election) written by former Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapaliya has been published. The published work, which presents the interrelationship between the internal structure of mature democracy, technology, money, and public opinion from an experiential and analytical perspective, attempts to understand democracy beyond the limits of ballot boxes and results in a broader context.

This book, written based on direct observation of the 2024 US Presidential Election, covers the overall perspective of history, ideology, institutional structure, political culture, and civic consciousness.

The book is not just an observation report: it deeply discusses the American electoral system, the Electoral College, the dominance of the two-party system, election expenditure, the use of technology, voter psychology, the politics of swing states, and the challenges of the digital age. Furthermore, it highlights both the strengths and contradictions of democracy by comparing them with practices in India, Thailand, Bhutan, Europe, Australia, and African nations.

This work, which is a confluence of faith, questioning, and rethinking democracy, is expected to provide a new perspective towards institutional strengthening and electoral reform for developing democracies like Nepal. This book is an important intellectual journey for every reader who wishes to understand democracy as a living consciousness and view elections in a broader dimension than a periodic process.

The author, Thapaliya, demonstrated high-level managerial capacity in public administration by successfully conducting the elections for the House of Representatives, Provincial Assemblies, and local levels according to the federal structure during his tenure.

Thapaliya, known as a subtle analyst of administrative systems, an experienced practitioner of democracy, and a thinker of social change, is also a powerful creator in Nepali language and literature. 'Bichitroko Loktantra: Gajab'ko Nirwachan' is his sixth publication. The book, published by Shangrila Books, is priced at 750.