Kathmandu, March 10 Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane has said he looks forward to strengthening Nepal-India ties through "development diplomacy" as he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating him on the party's electoral success.
The RSP is on track to secure a two-thirds majority in Nepal's parliamentary elections, winning 125 seats through direct voting and 48,29,910 votes through the proportional-voting system as of Monday evening.
In a social media post on Monday, Lamichhane thanked Prime Minister Modi for his warm wishes and for "recognising the democratic mandate of the Nepali people."
"The RSP and our government will remain committed to fostering a relationship based on mutual respect and shared prosperity, with the RSP prioritizing 'development diplomacy'," he said.
"We look forward to a partnership with India that achieves new heights through cooperation in connectivity, cultural tourism, energy, and trade, ensuring a prosperous future for the people of both countries," the RSP leader said.
Congratulating Lamichhane and Balendra Shah for their election victory, Modi on Monday conveyed India's commitment to work with them for the mutual prosperity, progress, and well-being of the two countries.
Shah is set to become Nepal's first Madhesi prime minister and also the youngest elected executive head.
In a social media post, Modi said, "I am confident that with our joint endeavors, India and Nepal relations will scale new heights in the years ahead."
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 Nepal's 161 of the 165 seats have been declared under direct voting. The outcome on the remaining four seats is expected to be declared soon.
Under proportional voting, the RSP has secured 48,29,910 votes, followed by the NC at 16,28,704, the CPN-UML 1,35,939, the NCP 7,38,067, the Shram Sanskriti Party 341,518, the Janata Samajwadi Party 1,16,463 and the Rastriya Parivartan Party 317,46 votes.
With more than 40 lakh votes under the proportional representation system, the RSP is expected to secure at least 48 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.