KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Swatantra Party has begun a two-day special training program for its newly elected lawmakers following its emergence as the largest party in the House of Representatives from the March 5 elections.
Lawmakers who attended a 12-hour session on Tuesday are continuing with a seven-hour training on Wednesday.
However, senior leader Balen Shah—widely seen as a potential prime ministerial candidate—has not participated in the training. He is currently engaged in internal preparations for government formation.
The party has initiated groundwork to form a new government under Shah’s leadership. Discussions are ongoing regarding Cabinet formation, while the party is also preparing necessary processes, including selecting a parliamentary party leader and amending its statute to pave the way for Shah’s leadership.
Party chairman Rabi Lamichhane, senior leader Shah, and vice chairs Swarnim Wagle and Dol Prasad Aryal have held multiple rounds of discussions on government formation.
The talks have focused on potential ministerial candidates and the government’s immediate priorities once formed.
Training sessions underway
During Tuesday’s opening session, Vice President Wagle delivered the keynote address, while Aryal also provided guidance to the lawmakers.
Newly elected MPs received training from former secretaries Suresh Adhikari and Toyanath Adhikari. IT expert Dobhan Rai also made a presentation on artificial intelligence and algorithms.
Former lawmakers including Ashok Chaudhary, Shishir Khanal, Tosima Karki, Sobita Gautam, Ganesh Parajuli, Hari Dhakal, Manish Jha and Biraj Bhakta Shrestha shared their parliamentary experiences.
The training program will conclude on Wednesday with closing remarks from party chairman Lamichhane.
In the March 5 elections, the Rastriya Swatantra Party secured a total of 182 seats under both the first-past-the-post and proportional representation systems, making it the largest party in the House.
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