It is almost finalized that Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah and Minister Kulman Ghising will move forward together politically under the Desh Bikash Party.
Although the Ujyaalo Nepal Party, associated with Ghising, has already been registered with the Election Commission, sources close to Shah and Ghising say they have agreed to jointly pursue politics through the Desh Bikash Party instead.
The Desh Bikash Party is registered with the Election Commission. Its chairperson is Sandhya Khanal, and its election symbol is a walking stick. Shah was elected mayor of Kathmandu in the 2022 local elections using the same symbol.
Sources close to Shah and Ghising told Setopati that the two have also agreed to field candidates for the House of Representatives under the proportional representation (PR) system from the Desh Bikash Party. Accordingly, preparations are underway to finalize candidates for 110 constituencies by Saturday and submit the closed PR list to the Election Commission on December 28 and 29.
Mayor Shah has held discussions not only with Ghising, but also with Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal patron Resham Chaudhary, Janamat Party Chairman CK Raut, among others.
Sources say efforts are underway to move the Desh Bikash Party forward by bringing together other new parties and independent figures, excluding the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).
“Mayor Balen has also met and held discussions with CK Raut, Resham Chaudhary, Amresh Kumar Singh, among others,” a source close to him said. “He has also held talks with Gen Z activists including Rakshya Bam. The plan is to move the Desh Bikash Party forward by including everyone.”
Resham Chaudhary has already stated publicly that they are considering moving forward together.
RSP President Rabi Lamichhane and Mayor Shah recently held a six-hour-long meeting in Kamal Pokhari. However, sources close to Shah say no concrete agreement could be reached during the meeting.
It had been agreed that the RSP would send a concrete proposal by Tuesday on how both Lamichhane and Shah could move forward together. Although Lamichhane had said that he would send the proposal by Wednesday morning, no detailed proposal arrived by that time. Shah then decided to move ahead independently by consolidating forces other than the RSP under the Desh Bikash Party, according to sources.
“Although there was a conversation with RSP President Rabi Lamichhane on Monday, nothing was discussed in detail,” a source close to Shah said. “They had planned to meet and hold concrete talks on Tuesday, but since Rabi was outside Kathmandu, no meeting took place. No concrete proposal came either – only repeated invitations to join the RSP. After that, he [Shah] decided to move ahead with the Desh Bikash Party. Still, Mayor Balen has said that he will hold talks with the RSP one last time.”
When Ghising was in the process of forming a party, discussions were held on what its name should be. Since the beginning, Ghising had wanted to name it Ujyaalo Nepal Party, but leader Sumana Shrestha suggested the name Desh Bikash Party. She opposed the name Ujyaalo Nepal Party, arguing it could appear as a personal party centered around Ghising.
Mayor Shah intensified his political meetings on Wednesday. He held discussions with Nepali Congress leader Chandra Bhandari, Nagarik Unmukti Party patron Resham Chaudhary, Rastriya Prajatantra Party spokesperson Gyanendra Shahi, Janamat Party Chairman CK Raut, physician Dr Bhagwan Koirala, and Gen Z activists Rakshya Bam, Sagar Dhakal, KP Khanal, actor Nischal Basnet, among others.
These meetings were held at the residence of Shah’s close aide Kumar Byanjankar in Kupandol, Lalitpur.
With the deadline for submitting proportional representation lists drawing close, Balen has intensified preparations from his side.
Political parties must submit their PR closed lists by December 28 and 29.
Shah is also looking for candidates in all 165 constituencies to contest the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5, 2026, under the first-past-the-post system.
