PM Modi congratulates Nepali citizens for successful general election
Guwahati: 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 115 seats in the 275-member national Parliament. According to the election commission report, the RSP candidates are leading in 10 seats till Sunday afternoon. 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 the four-time premier’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 across India's immediate neighbour in September.
Nepali Congress (NC), the Himalayan nation’s oldest political party, is lagging behind with only 17 seats. The CPN-UML has won only seven seats (leading in three), Nepali Communist Party (NCP) six seats (leading in one). Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) won in one seat, where Shrama Shakti Party (SSP) is leading in three seats. More than 60 % of total 19 million Nepali voters exercised their franchise in the election, which was largely peaceful. As the RSP sets out to form the next government, Balendra becomes the front runner to become the premier. He will be the youngest head of Nepal government and first one Madhesi leader to get the opportunity.
