NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Nepali people and also the interim government in Kathmandu for the successful general elections on 5 March 2026. “It is heartening to see my Nepali sisters and brothers exercise their democratic rights so vibrantly”, Modi said on a social media post asserting New Delhi’s commitment to work in close coordination with the people and the newly formed government. “As a close friend and neighbour, India remains steadfast in its commitment to working closely with the people of Nepal and their new government to scale new heights of shared peace, progress and prosperity”, he added.
Meanwhile, Balendra Shah of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) led his party to win over 100 seats in the 275-member national Parliament. The young rapper-turned-politician Balendra even defeated his nearest rival, KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5 constituency of eastern Nepal. The former Kathmandu mayor secured 68,348 votes against Oli’s 18,734 in the electoral battles and set to become the premier of Himalayan republic. Mentionable is that Oli, who leads the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), was ousted last year during the anti-corruption uprising in September. Nepali Congress (NC), the Himalayan nation’s oldest political party, is lagging behind with only 13 seats (and leading in three seats).
The CPN-UML has won only seven seats (leading in three), Nepali Communist Party (NCP) six seats (leading in one) till, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) won one seat and Shrama Shakti Party (SSP) is leading in three seats till Sunday morning. More than 60 % of total 19 million Nepali voters exercised their franchise in the election, which was largely peaceful. Counting of ballot papers is going on. Every voter was allowed to cast two votes, one for his/her preferred candidates and other for parties. A total of 3,406 candidates, representing over 65 political parties and 1,143 independent contestants, remained in the fray for 165 seats under the first-past-the-post system, while another 3,135 candidates were vying for 110 seats through the proportional representation system.
RPP, though not becomes successful in the election, the party continues raising voices for bringing back the constitutional monarchy and restoring Nepal’s political status of a Sanatani Hindu Rashtra. The right-wing party, which has fielded a number of candidates across the country, used to organize public rallies supporting the last Nepal king, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, who now leads a private life in Kathmandu after dethroning from the palace nearly two decades back. Now a section of hardcore Hindu nationalists demands the restoration of monarchy even as a ceremonial head of Nepal (in place of the President). The pro-monarchists often hit the streets waving national flags, placards and chanting slogans, whenever the septuagenarian royal scion visits rural areas.