Shram Sanskriti Party
The Shram Sanskriti Party is a grassroots populist nationalist political party in Nepal led by Harka Sampang, former mayor of Dharan. Nature, culture and technology is its main theme, vision and agenda, with grassroots level development of Nepal being its fundamental goal.
History
Background and Foundation (2022–2024)
The roots of the Shram Sanskriti Party lie in the independent political movement of Harka Sampang, who was elected as the mayor of Dharan in the 2022 Nepalese local elections. Sampang's victory was seen as a significant shift in Nepalese politics, driven by his focus on "labor culture" and community-led infrastructure projects, most notably the successful mobilization of volunteers to solve Dharan's water crisis.Between 2022 and 2024, Sampang built a nationwide following through social media, advocating for the "Dharan Model" of development. Following increasing pressure from supporters to provide a national alternative to established parties, Sampang initiated the process of forming a formal political organization.
Official Registration (2025)
On December 2, 2025, the party was officially announced and registered with the Election Commission of Nepal under the name Shram Sanskriti Party. The formation was marked by a public declaration in Dharan, where the party's central committee members were introduced.The party adopted a unique structure, emphasizing grassroots leadership over traditional political hierarchies. During its inception, the SSP declared its intention to contest the 2026 Nepalese general election in both federal and provincial categories, focusing on constituencies where the "labor culture" movement had gained traction.
2026 General Election Campaign
In early 2026, the party launched its national campaign, centered on the slogan "Jay Mato, Jay Shramdaan". The campaign was notable for its lack of expensive rallies; instead, candidates and volunteers engaged in community labor projects—such as road repairs and tree planting—as a primary form of canvassing.Name and symbols
The name Shram Sanskriti Party reflects the party's core philosophy of Shramdaan and the belief that labor is the foundational culture of civilization.Election Symbol
The official election symbol of the party, as registered with the Election Commission, Nepal, is Two hands holding a mound of soil.Symbolism: According to party founder Harka Sampang, the symbol represents "economic sovereignty" and the party's focus on agricultural self-reliance. It is closely associated with the campaign slogan "Jay Mato, Jay Shramdaan".Flag
In a departure from traditional Nepalese political practice, the Shram Sanskriti Party has no distinct party flag. Instead, it exclusively uses the National Flag of Nepal for all its activities.Rationale: The party maintains that they do not wish to create partisan divisions using "cloth banners" and that the national flag is the only symbol capable of uniting all working citizens under a single identity.Theme, vision and agenda
The party operates under the central theme of "Nature, Culture, and Technology." The party's vision is to transform Nepal into a self-reliant nation by integrating traditional labor values with modern sustainable practices. Its agenda focuses on grassroots mobilization to solve systemic issues like water scarcity, environmental degradation, and unemployment.Nature
The party places nature at the forefront of its political identity, viewing it as the primary source of national wealth. Unlike traditional environmentalism that focuses on regulation, the SSP's approach centers on active, labor-based restoration and stewardship of the land.Massive Afforestation: The party advocates for a "Green Nepal" through mandatory community-led tree planting. In Dharan, Chairperson Harka Sampang initiated a campaign to plant millions of saplings on barren hills to combat soil erosion, restore biodiversity, and ensure long-term water security.Water Conservation: A core agenda item is the protection and restoration of natural water sources. The party promotes gravity-fed water systems and vehemently opposes the exploitation of rivers and forests by private interests for short-term profit, advocating instead for community-owned resource management.Organic Revolution: Under the slogan "Jay Mato", the party promotes organic farming and the elimination of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to preserve soil health for future generations. This policy also includes a commitment to avoiding the use of refined vegetable oils, advocating for traditional and locally pressed oils to support both public health and indigenous agriculture.Protection of Wildlife: The SSP views the preservation of Nepal's fauna as a cultural and ecological duty, opposing illegal poaching and habitat destruction caused by unplanned urbanization.Culture
The party’s namesake, Shram Sanskriti, represents its vision for a social revolution centered on the Dignity of labor.Labor as Culture: The party seeks to transition Nepalese society from a "consumerist culture" to a "production culture." It advocates for a lifestyle where manual labor is celebrated as a patriotic act and a spiritual duty.Indigenous Preservation: The party emphasizes the protection of indigenous cultures, languages, and traditional knowledge systems. It views these cultural assets as essential to maintaining national identity against global homogenization.Shramdaan: The agenda includes institutionalizing Shramdaan as a standard model for local development, fostering a culture of collective ownership and self-help.Technology
The party advocates for the use of technology that is accessible, sustainable, and serves the common person rather than elite interests.Appropriate Technology: The party prioritizes "low-cost, high-impact" engineering, such as the local pipe-laying techniques used to bring water from the Kokaha stream to Dharan. It supports the development of tools that enhance manual labor productivity without replacing human workers.Digital Transparency: A key part of the technology agenda is "Live Governance," using social media and digital platforms to broadcast government proceedings, budgets, and decision-making processes in real-time to eliminate corruption.Renewable Energy: The party promotes the technological transition to renewable energy, specifically small-scale hydroelectric power and solar energy, to achieve energy independence and reduce the import of fossil fuels.Manifesto
The Shram Sanskriti Party operates under the slogan: "Our Earth, Our Sky, Our Environment! Let us all join hands through labor to build this nation!!"Their election symbol is Mato, represented by hands holding earth.
Key Principles and Objectives
Governance: Democracy, federalism, and a directly elected executive presidential system.State Identity: Proportional, inclusive, and secular state.Core Philosophy : A balance between Nature, Culture, and Technology.Labor Culture Campaign: Establishing labor culture as the primary medium for total national transformation.Transformation: Promoting positive transformation of individuals, communities, and society across social, economic, educational, and political sectors.Environmental Conservation: Balancing nature-culture-technology while focusing on conservation and mobilization of natural resources.Development:- * Mandatory labor and labor-donation.
- * Consciousness-based, economic, and human development.
- * Developing and promoting technology in the global market.Economy:
- * Independent economy with a regulated market.
- * "One Village, One Industry" and "One Person, One Enterprise" policy.
- * Industrialization of arts, literature, and sports.Social Justice:
- * Ending discrimination based on labor; building an egalitarian society.
- * Ensuring legal, social, and cultural justice.Ex-Gurkha Rights:
- * Strong advocacy for equal facilities and pensions for ex-British and Singapore Police Gurkhas.
- * Continuity of Nepali citizenship for ex-Gurkha soldiers.Education Reform: An educational revolution focusing on life-oriented skills while limiting purely theoretical education.Production: Emphasis on production, construction, and innovation.Governance: A government for farmers, laborers, and the working class ; good governance free from foreign interference.Nationalism: Protecting national unity, national pride, and prosperity with sovereignty.
Structure
The party operates under a lean organizational framework designed to prioritize field-based action over traditional bureaucratic political hierarchies. According to its party statute registered with the Election Commission, Nepal, the party structure is led by a central executive body with an emphasis on "Generation Z" involvement and grassroots representation.Central Committee
The party's primary decision-making body is the Central Committee. At its inception, the party proposed a 23-member central committee, fulfilling the legal requirement of at least 21 members for national registration in Nepal.Chairperson: Harka Sampang serves as the founding chairman, holding the highest executive authority within the party.Central Office Bearers: The party is managed by a five-member core team of office bearers who oversee daily administrative tasks and national mobilization.Regional and Local Units
Following the "Dharan Model" of local governance, the party has expanded its structure into all seven provinces of Nepal:Sub-metropolitan and Municipal Committees: The party has established dedicated committees in major urban centers. Notably, the Butwal Sub-metropolitan Committee is led by youth leaders from the "Gen-Z" generation, reflecting the party's focus on younger demographics.District Chapters: As of early 2026, the party has prioritized expansion in the eastern Terai and the eastern hills, using Dharan as its strategic base while maintaining a central office in Kathmandu.Sister Organizations
The party does not maintain traditional "wings" in the same manner as older established parties. Instead, it organizes through:Shram Abhiyan : Informal but structured volunteer groups that mobilize for public works projects like water pipeline installation and reforestation. These groups serve as the party's primary mechanism for community engagement.Political positions
The party adheres to a political philosophy termed "Harkism", which emphasizes localism, agrarianism, and the dignity of manual labor. The party's platform is characterized by a "labor-first" approach to governance, aiming to reduce Nepal's dependency on foreign aid and high-interest international loans.Governance and Constitutional Reform
Directly Elected Executive: The party advocates for a constitutional amendment to transition Nepal from its current parliamentary system to a system with a directly elected executive president. The party argues this would provide the political stability necessary for long-term development and prevent the frequent "government toppling" seen in the federal parliament.Anti-Corruption: The party promotes a "zero-tolerance" policy on corruption, advocating for the seizure of properties belonging to corrupt officials. They emphasize transparency through "live-streamed" governance, a practice popularized by Sampang during his mayoral tenure.Economic Policy and "Shramdaan"
Economic Sovereignty: A central tenet of the party is achieving economic independence by utilizing local labor and natural resources. The party proposes that major public works—such as irrigation canals and local roads—be completed via Shramdaan to minimize national debt.Agricultural Sovereignty: The party opposes the import of agricultural goods that can be produced locally. It advocates for organic farming and the protection of indigenous seed varieties, aligning with the "Jay Mato" movement.Education and Social Policy
3-Day School Week: In a radical departure from traditional education, the party proposes a policy where formal classroom schooling is limited to three days a week. The remaining days would be dedicated to practical, field-based learning where students participate in agriculture, vocational skills, and community labor.Drug Reform: Following the Dharan model, the party treats drug addiction as a labor-deficit issue, advocating for rehabilitation through manual labor and employment in local small-scale industries.Environment and Infrastructure
Massive Afforestation: The party maintains a policy of mandatory tree planting, aiming to plant "millions of saplings" annually to combat soil erosion and climate change.Water Security: Drawing from the success of the Khar Khola and Kokaha water projects in Dharan, the party prioritizes the "one house, one tap" initiative through gravity-fed systems managed by local communities rather than private contractors.Economic issues
The party advocates for an economic model rooted in self-reliance, localism, and the "dignity of labor." Central to its economic platform is the rejection of heavy reliance on foreign aid and external loans, which the party argues compromises national sovereignty.The party's platform emphasizes the following economic pillars:Shramdaan : Based on the initiatives led by Harka Sampang in Dharan, the party proposes a national model for infrastructure development through voluntary community labor. This approach aims to complete public works like water supply systems and roads without increasing national debt.Agricultural Sovereignty: The party promotes organic farming and the protection of indigenous seeds under the slogan "Jay Mato". It advocates for strictly limiting the import of agricultural goods that can be produced within Nepal to support local farmers.Water Resource Management: The party prioritizes "one house, one tap" through gravity-fed systems. Economically, this favors community-managed infrastructure over projects handled by large private contractors, which the party claims reduces corruption and procurement costs.Labor Dignity: A cornerstone of the party's policy is ensuring that manual labor is accorded the same social and financial respect as white-collar professions. This is intended to curb the high rates of labor migration to the Gulf countries.Anti-Syndicate Measures: The party opposes the "contractor-politician" syndicate system. It advocates for small-scale, localized tenders and transparent public funding to ensure that local wealth stays within the community.
Fiscal policy
The party champions "Fiscal Self-Reliance," arguing that Nepal should minimize its dependence on foreign loans and grants. The SSP proposes a "Labor-over-Capital" budget model where voluntary community participation reduces the need for massive state expenditure on infrastructure. It advocates for aggressive transparency to dismantle "contractor-politician" syndicates that the party blames for budget leakage and corruption.Minimum wage
The party supports a "Dignity of Labor" wage policy, suggesting that the minimum wage should be adjusted to ensure parity between manual laborers and white-collar professionals. The party's platform emphasizes that a living wage is essential to discourage youth out-migration and to revitalize the domestic economy.Health care
The party views healthcare as a fundamental right rather than a commodity. It advocates for a decentralized, state-funded healthcare system where basic services are managed at the local level. The party emphasizes preventative medicine and the integration of traditional and Ayurvedic medicine alongside modern healthcare to reduce the cost of imported pharmaceuticals.Education
The party’s education policy focuses on "Vocational Patriotism," proposing a curriculum that integrates physical labor with academic learning from an early age. The party advocates for free, high-quality public education with a heavy emphasis on technical skills, engineering, and agricultural science to prepare students for local nation-building.Environment
Under the slogan "Jay Mato", the party treats environmental protection as an economic necessity. The party opposes the extraction of natural resources for short-term profit at the expense of local ecosystems. It advocates for community-led reforestation and the protection of water sources as the primary drivers of sustainable economic growth.Renewable energy and fossil fuels
The party favors the development of small-scale, community-owned hydroelectric power and solar energy systems over large, multi-national projects. The party advocates for a gradual reduction in fossil fuel imports by promoting electric transport and the use of biomass for cooking, aiming for national energy sovereignty.Trade
The party promotes a protectionist trade policy to safeguard Nepalese industries. It advocates for high tariffs or bans on agricultural imports that can be produced domestically, such as vegetables and staples. The party's trade stance is rooted in economic nationalism, seeking to balance the trade deficit by fostering a self-sufficient domestic market.Social issues
The Shram Sanskriti Party centers its social platform on the "culture of labor" and the empowerment of marginalized communities, particularly working-class groups, through grassroots participation.Equal opportunity
The party advocates for social equity by prioritizing the "Dignity of Labor." It proposes that socio-economic status should be determined by one's contribution to community and national building rather than traditional caste or class hierarchies. The SSP emphasizes equal access to resources for rural populations, aiming to end the "city-centric" development model that favors Kathmandu over village-based laborers.Voting rights
The SSP supports strengthening universal suffrage and has been vocal about ensuring the voting rights of the Nepalese diaspora. Given the party's significant support among migrant workers, it advocates for a secure and accessible remote voting system that allows citizens living abroad—primarily in the Gulf States and Malaysia—to participate in national elections.Abortion and reproductive rights
While the party's primary focus is on labor and economic sovereignty, its stance on reproductive rights aligns with maintaining and improving current constitutional protections. The party views healthcare, including reproductive health, as a decentralized state responsibility, emphasizing that women in rural areas must have access to safe, affordable, and local medical services without needing to travel to urban centers.Immigration
The SSP holds a nationalist view on immigration, focusing on the protection of the local labor market. It advocates for strict monitoring of the borders to prevent the influx of undocumented workers who might compete with Nepalese laborers. Conversely, the party’s central mission is to reverse the "forced migration" of Nepalese youth by creating a domestic "Labor Culture" that makes working within Nepal more attractive than seeking employment abroad.LGBT rights
The party's ideology of "Harkabad" emphasizes the humanity of all individuals through their capacity for labor. In line with the Constitution of Nepal, the SSP supports the protection of gender and sexual minorities from discrimination. However, the party emphasizes that social integration is best achieved through equal participation in the national workforce and community-led development projects.Child rights
The SSP emphasizes a "holistic and practical" approach to child development, seeking to move away from purely academic or "rote-learning" models. The party's platform on child rights is heavily focused on the integration of children into the community and the natural environment.3-Day School Week: In a radical departure from traditional education systems, the SSP proposes limiting formal classroom schooling to three days per week. The remaining days are designated for field-based learning, where children participate in agriculture, vocational skills, and community labor alongside adults. The party argues this protects the child's right to practical life skills and prevents the "disconnection" of youth from their local environment and culture.Protection from Exploitation: While advocating for children to learn manual labor, the party strictly opposes hazardous child labour and economic exploitation. It promotes "educational labor," where children perform age-appropriate tasks in a safe, mentored environment to foster self-reliance.Mental and Physical Well-being: The SSP's agenda includes creating safer, "nature-centric" communities. It advocates for the right of every child to have access to clean playgrounds, forests, and water sources, suggesting that psychological health is tied to a child's proximity to the environment.Right to Identity and Heritage: The party emphasizes the preservation of mother-tongue education and indigenous knowledge, viewing the protection of a child’s cultural heritage as a fundamental human right essential for their personality development.Women's rights
The SSP views women's empowerment primarily through the lens of economic self-reliance and social safety. The party advocates for shifting from "welfare-based" empowerment to "production-based" leadership, where women are central to the national labor movement.Key components of the party's women's rights agenda include:Economic Empowerment: The party promotes equal pay for equal labor and advocates for state-backed credit and land rights for women. It supports the establishment of small-scale local industries, such as the Dharan soap factory model, to provide employment opportunities that allow women to achieve financial independence within their own communities.Public Safety and Infrastructure: The SSP campaigns for a nationwide infrastructure overhaul to ensure women's safety, including well-lit public spaces, secure public transportation, and the installation of CCTV in urban centers. It also advocates for the establishment of daycare centers and breastfeeding spaces in all public and private workplaces to support working mothers.Political Representation: In line with the Constitution of Nepal, the party ensures a minimum of 33% female representation in its internal committees. However, the SSP goes further by prioritizing women in leadership roles within community-led Shramdaan projects, aiming to normalize female authority in physical and technical fields traditionally dominated by men.Elimination of Violence: The party maintains a "zero-tolerance" policy toward domestic violence and workplace harassment. It advocates for the creation of "Gender Desks" in local government offices and schools, alongside strict legal penalties and social boycotting of those found guilty of violence against women.Reproductive Health: The SSP emphasizes universal access to reproductive healthcare, particularly in rural areas. Its platform includes menstrual health awareness campaigns and the decentralization of maternal health services to the ward level to ensure that no woman is deprived of medical care due to geographical or financial barriers.