RSP’s PR Votes Surge Past 5 Million

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has secured more than 5 million votes under the proportional representation (PR) system in the March 5 House of Representatives election.

The party has already won 125 of the 165 seats under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system.

The House of Representatives, the Lower House of the Federal Parliament, has 275 members. Of them, 165 are elected through the FPTP system and 110 through the PR system.

According to the latest vote count, RSP has secured 5.01 million of the 10.44 million PR votes counted so far.

The Nepali Congress trails far behind. The party has won 18 FPTP seats and secured 1.69 million PR votes.

Counting of the PR ballots is nearing completion.

With a landslide victory, RSP is set to form the next government. If the PR allocation goes strongly in its favour, it could even approach the 184 seats needed for a two-thirds majority.

Nepal has witnessed such parliamentary dominance only once before. In the country’s first general election in 1959, the Nepali Congress won 74 of the 109 seats, securing a two-thirds majority and making BP Koirala prime minister.

However, the government did not last long. In December 1960, King Mahendra staged a coup. He dismissed the elected government, dissolved parliament, suspended the constitution and banned political parties. Political leaders were jailed, and Nepal entered the partyless Panchayat system that lasted for three decades.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation on Monday evening with Rabi Lamichhane, chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and Balendra Shah, whom the party has put forward as its prime ministerial candidate.

PM Modi took to social media platform X to say: “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 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. 

I am confident that with our joint endeavours, India and Nepal relations will scale new heights in the years ahead.”

Reposting Modi’s tweet, Lamichhane said the RSP and its government would remain dedicated to fostering a relationship built on mutual respect and shared prosperity. He added that the RSP would prioritise ‘development diplomacy’.

Read the post: “Thank you, Prime Minister @narendramodi, for your warm wishes and for recognizing the democratic mandate of the Nepali people. 

RSP and our government will remain dedicated to fostering a relationship built on mutual respect and shared prosperity where RSP will prioritize on ‘development diplomacy’. 

We look forward to a partnership with India that scales new heights through cooperation in connectivity, cultural tourism, energy, and trade, ensuring a prosperous future for the people of both countries.”

Under Nepal’s electoral law, a party must secure at least 3 percent of the valid PR votes to qualify for PR seats. It must also win at least one FPTP seat to gain recognition as a national party.

Based on the current trend, the new Lower House is likely to have six national parties. These include the Shram Sanskriti Party (SSP) led by Harka Raj Rai. The party has won three FPTP seats and has already secured more than 358,000 PR votes.

The pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party, meanwhile, has won one FPTP seat and around 325,000 PR votes.