Rabi Lamichhane and Balen Shah Hold Six-Hour Talks, Both Express Ambition to Become Prime Minister
During a six-hour-long discussion held late Monday night, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairperson Rabi Lamichhane and Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah both expressed their desire to become the next Prime Minister, but the talks failed to reach a concrete conclusion. However, sources say both leaders agreed that a consensus-based solution must be found soon.
According to close aides, there was agreement that all new political forces should move forward together in the upcoming elections, but the exact modality of such cooperation has not yet been finalized. Both leaders are said to be in favor of engaging with all emerging political forces to develop a common framework in the days ahead.
Balen Shah is also said to have placed high priority on moving forward together with Kulman Ghising. Although several rounds of talks had previously taken place between Ghising—considered a key architect of both RSP and Ujyaalo Nepal Party—and RSP leadership, no agreement was reached. Disagreements reportedly emerged after Ghising demanded to be made acting chair of RSP while Rabi was in jail and insisted on leading the party into elections, which caused friction with other RSP leaders. Following this, Ghising abandoned plans to join RSP and instead announced the formation of the Ujyaalo Nepal Party under his own patronage. With elections approaching, Ghising is said to be planning to resign from his ministerial post, become party chair, and actively campaign, with a long-term goal of becoming Prime Minister himself.
Sources claim that Rabi Lamichhane’s release from jail temporarily slowed Ghising’s plans. Ghising’s close circle maintains that he intends to strengthen his own party and pursue the prime ministership in the future. While Balen initially supported Ghising’s plan, Rabi’s re-emergence has reportedly left Balen divided over whether to align with Rabi or Ghising. Meanwhile, Gen Z activists have been continuously attempting to bring all these leaders together ahead of the February 21 election.
Balen’s earlier perception of RSP and Rabi Lamichhane was reportedly negative, particularly after RSP joined the government coalition led by KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal following the 2022 elections. At the time, Balen had publicly criticized both old and new parties alike on social media. Even months ago, while criticizing political parties, he included RSP among those he viewed as no different from traditional parties.
According to sources close to Balen, he currently views Kulman Ghising as comparatively more suitable than Rabi Lamichhane. Therefore, if forced to choose, Balen is more likely to side with Ghising. Rabi, on the other hand, is said to be focused on resolving his legal cases swiftly and positioning himself as a prime ministerial candidate. Aware of this, Balen is reportedly considering either leading himself or backing Ghising for the premiership. However, RSP has struggled to formulate a clear plan to unite all alternative political forces, making collective unity increasingly difficult as Ghising prefers to move ahead under his own leadership.
Balen’s political ambition has also grown following the Gen Z movement, though he remains undecided about entering parliamentary politics. If he does so, sources say he would only move forward with a prime ministerial ambition. Gen Z activists believe that Balen’s leadership—seen as more ethical and financially transparent than Rabi’s—could yield positive results if all new forces unite under him.
Balen has been in close and regular contact with figures such as former RSP leader Sumana Shrestha and Kulman Ghising. Shrestha is said to be encouraging Balen to take the lead himself while managing cooperation with Rabi. RSP leaders say that if Rabi’s legal cases take longer to resolve, he is prepared to contest elections with Balen as the prime ministerial face. Conversely, Balen’s team claims that Balen would accept Rabi’s leadership if Rabi clears his cases. Despite this, both leaders continue to harbor ambitions to become Prime Minister, though their close circles insist a consensus—including Ghising—will be reached soon.
Balen has also reportedly expressed a strong desire to enter electoral politics specifically to contest against KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa. According to his close associates, Balen believes there would be no real satisfaction in winning an election unless it involves defeating Oli in his own constituency.
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