Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated leaders of Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) — Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah — on their sweeping victory in the country’s parliamentary elections, reaffirming India’s commitment to work with Nepal for mutual prosperity and progress.
In separate telephonic conversations, PM Modi expressed confidence that joint efforts would take India–Nepal relations to new heights.
“Had warm telephone conversations with Mr. Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Mr. Balendra Shah, Senior Leader of the RSP,” the Prime Minister said in a post on X.
“Conveyed my best wishes for their forthcoming new Government and India’s commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of our two countries,” he further wrote.
Had warm telephone conversations with Mr. Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Mr. Balendra Shah, Senior Leader of the RSP.
Congratulated both leaders on their electoral victories and RSP’s resounding success in the Nepal elections. Conveyed my…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 9, 2026
Nepal Elections: RSP secures landslide win
In the general elections, so far, the results for 161 of the 165 seats have been declared under direct voting. The outcome on the remaining four seats is expected to be declared soon.
RSP, which was formed only three-and-a-half years ago, won 125 of the 165 seats under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, defeating established leaders, including former PM KP Sharma Oli. Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu and RSP’s PM candidate, recorded the highest vote tally in Nepal’s parliamentary history, securing 68,348 votes from Jhapa-5, a constituency long considered Oli’s stronghold.
The RSP is also leading in the proportional representation vote with over 48 per cent of the share. If trends continue, the party could secure a near two-thirds majority in the 275-member House of Representatives — a feat not achieved by any party since Nepal’s 1991 elections.
Under proportionate voting, RSP has secured 40,49,604 votes, followed by the Nepali Congress (NC) at 13,60,281, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) 11,50,679, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) 5,91,940, the Shram Sanskriti Party 2,91,965, the Janata Samajwadi Party 1,16,463 and the Rastriya Parivartan Party 2,76,931.
Political analysts attribute the RSP’s success to widespread public anger at the traditional parties’ misrule, economic stagnation, and foreign policy failures.
The party’s victory also follows last year’s Gen-Z protests, which brought down the coalition government led by Oli and signalled a shift in voter sentiment toward new political forces.
With this mandate, the RSP is set to form the next government in Nepal, marking a historic change in the country’s political landscape.
(With PTI and IANS inputs)