KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane has admitted that he failed to preserve the party’s unity agreement with Kulman Ghising-led Ujyalo Nepal Party.
Briefing an emergency meeting of the party Secretariat held on Saturday afternoon, Lamichhane said that despite showing maximum flexibility to protect the unity deal, the effort ultimately failed.
According to party sources, Lamichhane and Ghising held a one-hour closed-door meeting on Friday, followed by a final and decisive round of talks on Saturday that also involved Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah. However, the negotiations collapsed, leading to the breakdown of the unity agreement signed on December 29, 2025.
Sources said Ghising had placed a series of demands during the talks, including his position in the party hierarchy, political ideology, guaranteed proportional representation seats for his group, and the inclusion of 33 central committee members from his camp.
Ghising also proposed changing the party’s name, further complicating the negotiations.
A RSP leader said Lamichhane concluded that the talks had gone too far and decided not to accept Ghising’s demands, paving the way for the collapse of the unity agreement.
Following the breakdown of the unity deal within just 12 days, Ghising is set to formally assume the chairmanship of the Ujyalo Nepal Party on Saturday evening. The party has scheduled a press conference at 6 pm to officially announce Ghising as its new chair.
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