Leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) of Nepal, Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah. File | Photo credit: AP
Speaking to Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Nepal leaders Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah on Monday (March 9, 2026), Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated them on their election victory and expressed India’s commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of both countries.
In his telephone conversations with the two leaders of Nepal, Mr. Modi said he was confident that through joint efforts, India-Nepal relations would reach new heights in the coming years.
“He had cordial telephonic conversations with Mr. Rabi Lamichhan, President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Mr. Balendra Shah, a senior leader of the RSP,” he said in a post on X.
The Prime Minister said he congratulated both the leaders on their electoral victories and the resounding success of the RSP in the Nepali elections.
“He expressed his best wishes for their incoming new government and India’s commitment to work with them for the mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of our two countries,” he said.
The House of Representatives (HoR) in Nepal has a total of 275 seats. While 165 members are elected by First Past The Post (FPTP) or direct election system, 110 members are elected by proportional representation.
In the general elections, the results for 161 of Nepal’s 165 seats have been declared by direct voting so far. The result on the remaining four seats is expected to be announced soon.
In proportional voting, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) got 40,49,604 votes, followed by NC with 13,60,281, CPN-UML 11,50,679, NCP 5,91,940, Shram Sanskriti Party 2,91, Jan Samwajta Party, Samwajta Party 91 1,16,463 and Rastriya Parivartan Party. 2,76,931.
With more than 40,000,000 votes under the proportional representation system, the RSP is expected to secure at least 40 more seats, bringing its tally to around 164 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives, well above the 138 needed for a simple majority, political observers said.
Published – 10 March 2026 00:00 IST
