New Delhi, March 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) of Nepal, Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah, on Monday, congratulating them on their election victory and conveying India's commitment to work with them for the mutual prosperity, progress, and well-being of the two countries.
In his telephone conversations with the two leaders of Nepal, PM Modi said he was confident that, through joint efforts, India-Nepal relations would reach new heights in the coming years.
"Had warm telephone conversations with Mr. Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and Mr. Balendra Shah, Senior Leader of the RSP," he said in a post on 'X'.
The prime minister congratulated both leaders on their electoral victories and the resounding success of the RSP in the Nepal elections.
"I extended my best wishes for their new government and India's commitment to working with them for the mutual prosperity, progress, and well-being of our two countries," he said.
The House of Representatives (HoR) in Nepal has a total of 275 seats. While 165 members are elected through the First Past The Post (FPTP) or direct voting system, 110 members are elected through proportional representation.
In the general elections, so far, the results for 161 out of the 165 seats in Nepal have been declared under direct voting. The outcome for the remaining four seats is expected to be announced soon.
Under proportional voting, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has secured 4,049,604 votes, followed by the NC at 13,60,281, the CPN-UML 1,150,679, the NCP 591,940, the Shram Sanskriti Party 291,965, the Janata Samajwadi Party 1,16,463, and the Rastriya Parivartan Party 276,931.
With over 4 million votes under the proportional representation system, the RSP is expected to secure at least 40 additional seats, bringing its total to around 164 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives, which is well above the 138 needed for a simple majority, political observers said.
-- MNK