KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which entered Nepali politics as a self-proclaimed alternative force, has faced widespread criticism over the proportional representation (PR) closed list it submitted for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.
The party has been criticized for submitting 21 PR candidates from Chitwan district alone, the district from which party chair Rabi Lamichhane is expected to contest the election. Questions have also been raised over the absence of representation from the Magar community, one of Nepal’s largest indigenous groups, and the inclusion of individuals with no prior political background, including industrialist Chandra Prasad Dhakal and folk singer Prakash Saput.
Out of Nepal’s 77 districts, RSP has left 44 districts unrepresented while submitting a total of 110 names in its PR closed list. The list has drawn sharp criticism on social media, with many arguing that a party claiming to offer an alternative to traditional politics has instead replicated flaws of the existing system.
Despite the criticism, existing election laws indicate that RSP still has a window to correct the shortcomings in its closed list.
The Election Commission (EC), which published the election schedule on November 16, 2025, has been implementing the House of Representatives Proportional Election Directive, 2025, to regulate the submission and finalization of PR candidate lists.
Under the directive, political parties are allowed to amend the proportional representation closed list once after submission. This provision applies to all parties, including RSP, provided the amendment adheres to principles of proportional representation and inclusiveness.
According to the EC schedule, political parties submitted their PR closed lists between December 28 and 29, 2025. All parties participating in the proportional election have completed this step.
Clause 19 of the directive empowers the Election Commission to review submitted PR lists and notify political parties if the lists fail to meet proportional and inclusive representation standards. The EC has allocated December 30 to January 4 for this review process.
Political parties are allowed to submit revised PR closed lists until January 5, following the EC’s notification.
However, Clause 21 of the directive clearly states that any modification to the PR closed list must be approved by a formal decision of the party’s central committee.
The directive also provides a mechanism for individual candidates to withdraw from the PR list. According to Clauses 22 and 23, candidates may withdraw their names until Poush 28.
If a listed candidate withdraws, the concerned party is permitted to replace the candidate with another individual, enabling further adjustments to address representation gaps.
Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai has stated that political parties can rectify weaknesses in representation clusters through these provisions. He also confirmed that the withdrawal mechanism allows parties to substitute candidates where necessary.
RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane, speaking in Pokhara on Wednesday, acknowledged that there were weaknesses in the party’s PR closed list and said the party would correct them.
If RSP chooses to act within the given timeline, it can facilitate the withdrawal of certain candidates and submit revised names, thereby aligning its PR list with inclusivity requirements and public expectations.
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