The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has secured a remarkable lead in the vote count of the House of Representatives election. According to the latest results, RSP has won 125 seats under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, emerging as the largest party. Vote counting in all 165 constituencies has already been completed.
Based on the results made public so far, the Nepali Congress has won 18 seats, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML) has secured 9 seats. Similarly, the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has won 8 seats.
Meanwhile, RSP is also maintaining a lead in the proportional representation (PR) vote count. According to the latest figures, RSP has received 4,987,700 votes. Nepali Congress has secured 1,691,076 votes under the PR system, while CPN-UML has received 1,407,923 votes. The Nepal Communist Party has obtained 766,392 votes.
Under Nepal’s electoral system, political parties must secure at least 3 percent of the total votes to qualify for seats under the proportional representation system.
Based on the current vote count, only the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), Nepal Communist Party, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party appear to be crossing the threshold.
RSP, which has emerged as a new political force and is also associated with former Balen Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu and a rapper, appears to be moving toward a strong presence in Parliament with this significant electoral success.
If the current trend continues, RSP is estimated to gain around 60 additional seats through the proportional representation system alone. Combined with its direct election victories, the party’s total seat count could reach around 185, surpassing the two-thirds majority mark (184 seats) in the 275-member House of Representatives.
The surge of RSP has pushed long-established parties far behind. Congratulating the party’s success, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, also extended his best wishes.
On Monday evening, Modi held a telephone conversation with RSP President Rabi Lamichhane and party leader Balen Shah, congratulating them on their electoral success. He also expressed his commitment to working with the new government to take relations between India and Nepal to new heights.
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