KATHMANDU, Dec 28: Efforts by Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah, aka Balen, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chair Rabi Lamichhane, and Ujjyalo Nepal Party, backed by Energy Minister Kulman Ghising as its patron, to form a formidable alternative political force appear increasingly slim, following Ujjyalo Nepal Party’s rejection of a proposed party unification framework.
The setback comes despite a series of high-level political engagements among the three leaders, who are often viewed as leaders of emerging alternative forces to Nepal’s traditional parties.
Earlier, RSP chair Lamichhane had floated a power-sharing proposal to Balen under which 25 percent of seats would go to Balen, 25 percent to Ghising, 10 percent to Gen Z representatives, and 40 percent would remain with RSP. The proposal also offered Shah as the prime ministerial candidate, with the condition that elections be contested under the RSP banner.
RSP leaders have since said that no formal discussions were held with Ghising regarding party unification, suggesting that talks remained informal and exploratory.
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The Ujjyalo Nepal Party rejected the proposal after it became clear that the party name, election symbol, chairperson, and prime ministerial position would all be drawn from the RSP or from Balen, effectively leaving Ghising’s party without an independent institutional identity or prominent position.
A central committee meeting of the party held on Saturday, attended by Ghising, concluded that unity without guarantees for the party’s existence was unacceptable.
“Unity means it has to be a win-win situation,” said a party cadre. “Unity does not mean completely erasing someone’s existence. There should not be an environment where others are made to feel they amount to nothing.”
The decision comes amid intensified political maneuvering following recent meetings between Shah and Lamichhane, which had explored the possibility of a broader alliance that would also include Ghising and Ujjyalo Nepal Party.
According to party insiders, Balen briefed Ghising on the negotiations earlier on Saturday, which Ghising later relayed to the central committee. “After hearing the briefing, it felt as though our party’s role was not given due importance,” a central committee member said. “Questions remained about where we would stand in any power-sharing arrangement.”
The party has since discussed two possible conditions for unity. One option would require adopting Ujjyalo Nepal Party’s election symbol, the “lit bulb”.
Party chair Anup Kumar Upadhyay said the meeting focused on unity amid recent political developments, emphasizing that Ujjyalo Nepal Party remains open to consolidation efforts. However, he stressed that unity cannot come at the cost of the party’s identity. The meeting authorized Ghising to continue dialogue and take necessary decisions on unification talks.
Earlier on Saturday, Ghising publicly reiterated that unity should not mean the disappearance of one political force in favor of another.
“Unity does not mean eliminating others,” he said while addressing a program organized by the Ujjyalo Nepal Party’s Nuwakot–Kathmandu Contact Forum. “True unity is about moving forward with mutual respect and recognition of everyone’s existence.”
