KATHMANDU, March 9: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held telephone conversations with senior leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), including party chairman Rabi Lamichhane and senior leader Balen Shah, congratulating them on the party’s sweeping victory in Nepal’s parliamentary elections.
Taking to his social media account, Prime Minister Modi said he extended his congratulations to both leaders on their individual electoral victories as well as the RSP’s overall success in the House of Representatives (HoR) election.
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During the conversation, Modi also conveyed his best wishes for the formation of the new government under the RSP’s leadership and reaffirmed India’s commitment to work closely with Nepal’s incoming leadership.
The Indian leader said New Delhi looks forward to cooperating with the new government in Kathmandu to advance mutual prosperity, progress and the well-being of the people of both countries. Expressing confidence about the future of bilateral relations, Modi said India and Nepal could elevate their longstanding partnership to greater heights through joint efforts in the years ahead.
The telephone call comes at a time when the RSP has emerged as the dominant political force in the newly elected HoR, following its strong performance in both the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) and Proportional Representation (PR) voting systems.
RSP Chairman Lamichhane and senior leader Balen Shah have both played central roles in the party’s electoral surge, which has been widely seen as a reflection of growing public demand for political change and governance reform in Nepal.
Modi’s outreach to the RSP leadership is widely seen as a signal of New Delhi’s readiness to engage with Nepal’s new political leadership as the country prepares for the formation of a new government.
