RSP heads for absolute majority

Kathmandu, Mar. 7: As vote counting of the election of the House of Representatives continues across the country, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is heading towards an absolute majority in the 275-member Lower House. 

The RSP, with its charismatic leader, Balendra Shah, who is projected to become the new Prime Minister, is likely to make a clean sweep in the southern plains and the urban centres. It has already won three seats and is leading in 110 of the 165 constituencies under the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) electoral system as of 10:00 pm Friday. 

The RSP candidates are maintaining large margins against their contenders from established parties like the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP). 

The RSP, which emerged as the fourth-largest party in the 2022 general election,  has pushed the first, second, and third largest parties into a relatively weaker position in the ongoing vote count. 

As of the time this report was prepared, NC had won three seats and was leading in 13 constituencies, while CPN-UML was ahead in 11 constituencies, NCP has won one constituency and was leading in seven others. 

Similarly, emerging new political forces have also led in some places. The Shram Sanskriti Party, led by Harka Sampang, is leading in six constituencies, while the pro-monarchical Rastriya Prajatantra Party and the Pragatisheel Loktantrik Party are leading in one constituency each. An independent candidate is also leading the vote count in Myagdi.

Likewise, RSP is heading towards victory in all constituencies of the Kathmandu Valley. The party has already won four seats and is leading in 11 constituencies. 

RSP candidates Ranju Darshana from Kathmandu-1, Ganesh Parajuli from Kathmandu-7, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha from Kathmandu-8, Shishir Khanal from Kathmandu-6, Raju Pandey from Kathmandu-3, Toshima Karki from Lalitpur-3 have already been elected. However, EC has not announced Karki’s victory by the time this story was prepared. 

According to the Election Commission, Darshana secured victory with 15,455 votes, while her nearest rival Prabal Thapa of the NC received 6,364 votes. Rabindra Mishra of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) came third with 3,972 votes, marking his third electoral defeat in a row.

Raju Nath Pandey won the election with 18,757 votes, while his closest contender Kulman Ghising, chairman of the Ujyalo Nepal Party, has secured 11,171 votes, while Ramesh Aryal of the NC received 6,000 votes and UML Rameshwor Phuyal has garnered 3,816 votes. Parajuli won with 27,805 votes while his closest rival NC’s Pramod Hari Guragain garnered only 3,982 votes. 

In Lalitpur-3, RSP candidate Karki won electionwith 8,871 votes. Nepali Congress candidate Jitendra Kumar Shrestha has received 1,499 votes, while Rajkaji Maharjan of the Nepali Communist Party has secured 912 votes.

In Kathmandu-8, Shrestha won with 24,592 votes. His closest rival Suman Sayami of the NCP received 3,217 votes, while Sapana Rajbhandari of the NC secured 2,835 votes.

Similarly, Shishir Khanal was elected from Kathmandu-6 with 27,719 votes. NC candidate Krishna Baniya received 6,647 votes, while Aman Maskey of the CPN-UML obtained 4,373 votes.

Likewise, coordinator of the NCP, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, has been elected from Rukum East. 

According to the final vote count, Prachanda secured victory with 10,240 votes. His nearest rival, Lilamani Gautam of the CPN-UML received 3,462 votes. Similarly, Kusum Devi Thapa of NC secured 3,081 votes, placing third. 

Similarly, Yogendra Gauchan Thakali, a candidate of the Nepali Congress, has been elected from Mustang. 

NC candidate Tek Bahadur Gurung of Manag-1 won the election with 2,415 votes, while his closest contender of NCP Yasodha Subedi Gurung received 454 votes. Similarly, NC’s Yogesh Gauchan Thakali won from Musatng and Mohan Acharya from Rasuwa. But EC was yet to declare Rasuwa’s results. 

The RSP is leading in seven constituencies in Kathmandu and two in Bhaktapur. 

The party is also ahead in Lalitpur constituencies 2 and 3, while Nepali Congress candidate Uday Shumsher Rana is leading in Lalitpur-1.

Even during the strong wave of the then CPN (Maoist) in the first Constituent Assembly election held in 2008, the party managed to win only seven of the 15 constituencies in the Kathmandu Valley.

Similarly, during the 2017 general election, when the then CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) formed an electoral alliance, they won only 10 of the 15 constituencies in the Valley. 

Likewise, when the NC and the CPN (Maoist Centre) formed an electoral alliance in the 2022 elections, they managed to win only seven seats.

Meanwhile, the RSP has created history by taking the lead in Bhaktapur, a constituency that had been won by the (NWPP) since 1991. 

Having already lost Bhaktapur-2 since 2013, the NWPP now appears likely to lose Bhaktapur-1 as well in this election.

Jhapa-5:

Balendra Shah has maintained a wide lead in the race against UML chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa constituency No. 5.

As of the latest vote count, Balen has maintained his lead with five times more votes than UML. According to EC, Balen received 15,169 votes, while  Oli received 3,344 votes. 

Rolpa: 

Barsha Man Pun has maintained the lead in the Rolpa constituency. Chudamani Wali, a candidate of the Nepali Communist Party is following Pun in second place.

Several popular leaders, including former prime ministers and chairman of the UML, president of the Nepali Congress, and NCP, have also fallen far behind in the electoral race.

Madhav Kumar Nepal, a candidate of NCP, who is also the deputy coordinator of CPN, has fallen far behind his rival candidate in Rautahat-2.

Candidates from the NCP currently leading in several constituencies are Mahendra Bahadur Shahi in Kalikot, Bir Man Chaudhari in Kailali-3, Brijesh Kumar Gupta in Kapilvastu, Din Nath Gautam in Kavrepalanchok-1, Ram Bahadur Bhandari in Dhading-2, Ramesh Kumar Malla in Salyan, Bhim Bahadur Rawal in Achham, Barsha Man Pun in Rolpa and Bishal Khadka in Dolakha-1.

Similarly, candidates from the UML currently leading are: Pramod Kumar Yadav in Rupandehi-4, Mohammad Istiyak Rai in Banke-2, Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal in Tehrathum, Prithvi Subba Gurung in Lamjung, Kulmani Devkota in Surkhet, Til Bahadur Mahat Kshetri in Nawalpur, Deepak Bahadur Thami in Doti, Laxmi Prasad Pokharel in Dailekh-2, Surya Bahadur Thapa in Kailali-2, Pradip Kumar Katuwal in Sindhuli-1 and Asmita Thapa in Okhaldhunga-1.

However, in Rupandehi-2, former Finance Minister and UML Vice President Bishnu Prasad Paudel is trailing by a large margin. He is following RSP candidate Sulabh Kharel.

In Morang-6, Dr. Shekhar Koirala, a candidate from the Nepali Congress, has fallen significantly behind his rival, the RSP candidate.

Similarly, Gururaj Ghimire in Morang-4; Giriraj Mani Pokharel, a candidate of NCP in Mahottari; Rajendra Pandey, a candidate of NCP in Dhading-1; Mahesh Basnet, a candidate of UML in Bhaktapur-2 and Dev Raj Ghimire, a candidate of UML in Jhapa-2, are trailing behind the RSP candidates.

Likewise, the Madhes-centric parties that emerged after the Madhesh movement are currently trailing in the vote count in its stronghold constituencies. 

A total of 3.406 candidates from 68 parties are competing for 165 constituencies across the country.