Old Parties Face Historic Defeat as Rastriya Swatantra Party Rises in Nepal Elections

The results of the March 5 election in Nepal have surprised many people as the country's traditional political parties, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, faced major defeats. These two parties have dominated Nepali politics since 1990, but this election result has raised serious questions about their leadership and future.

Many of the top leaders from both parties lost their elections. At the same time, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which was formed only in 2022, is heading toward a two-thirds majority in parliament. This is a rare achievement in Nepal’s political history. The last time such a strong majority was seen was in 1959 when the Nepali Congress led by BP Koirala won 74 out of 109 seats.

The strong performance of RSP came despite criticism of Nepal’s mixed election system introduced in 2015. Many critics had earlier claimed that this system would prevent any party from gaining a clear majority.

Several factors contributed to the poor performance of the older political parties. Observers say that growing public frustration with traditional leaders, the harsh government response to last year’s youth-led protests, and the growing popularity of new leaders played major roles in this election outcome.

One important factor was the entry of Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen Shah) into the Rastriya Swatantra Party as a senior leader. His popularity among young voters created a powerful “Balen wave” across the country.

The election results were particularly shocking because several prominent leaders lost their seats. Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa lost his election in Sarlahi-4. Other senior leaders including Gururaj Ghimire, Pradeep Poudel, Uday Shumsher Rana, Farmullah Mansur and Prakash Snehi were also defeated.

The CPN-UML also faced heavy losses. Party chairman KP Sharma Oli lost his election to Balen Shah in Jhapa-5. Many other senior UML leaders, including Bishnu Paudel, Gokarna Bista, Shankar Pokharel, Mahesh Basnet, Bhanubhakta Dhakal and Rajan Bhattarai, also failed to win.

Leaders from other political parties such as the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and several Madhesh-based parties also performed poorly. Some of these parties may even fail to cross the 3 percent vote threshold required to become a national party.

Following the defeat, several leaders from Congress and UML expressed their reactions publicly. Congress Vice-President Bishwa Prakash Sharma accepted responsibility for the party’s poor performance and said that the party would conduct a detailed review. He also urged party supporters to stay united and move forward together.

Similarly, UML Vice-Chairman Bishnu Paudel posted a message on Facebook after his defeat. He congratulated his opponent and reminded party members that politics is a long journey with many ups and downs. He also promised to review the party’s mistakes and work to improve its policies and leadership.

Political analysts say that both Congress and UML must seriously reconsider their leadership and organisational structure. Analyst Shri Krishna Anirudh Gautam said that these parties have faced similar defeats before, such as in 2008, but managed to recover later. However, he believes they can only regain public trust if they make honest changes.

Several other prominent leaders from Madhesh-based parties also lost their elections. Among them were Upendra Yadav, Rajendra Mahato, CK Raut and Sharat Singh Bhandari. Many observers say their losses were also influenced by the strong “Balen wave,” voter dissatisfaction, and the presence of the same political faces for many years.

Experts suggest that the older parties must introduce new leadership and allow younger leaders to take charge if they want to rebuild their support.

Political analyst Indra Adhikari said the first step for these parties is to accept the people’s decision. She also said they must admit that they were unable to meet public expectations in the past.

Adhikari also argued that the election results show that Nepal’s current electoral system is functioning properly. According to her, without the proportional representation system, Congress and UML might have won even fewer seats.

She believes the real issue lies within the parties themselves, particularly the lack of internal democracy. According to her, the senior leaders of the Congress, UML and other older parties should step down and allow new leadership to emerge.

Despite their defeat at the national level, the older parties still control many local governments. Analysts say this gives them an opportunity to rebuild public trust by delivering better governance and focusing on the needs of the people.

The March 5 election has clearly shown that Nepal’s political landscape is changing, with voters demanding new leadership, new ideas and better accountability from their leaders.