RSP’s emergence edged Congress out. Now it’s not easy for Thapa to reclaim Nepal’s democratic space

For decades, the Nepali Congress fought its biggest political battles against communist parties. The emergence of Rastriya Swatantra Party has fundamentally altered that equation.

The rapid rise of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) as the largest force within the country’s liberal democratic sphere has placed the Nepali Congress under unprecedented pressure, forcing the country's old democratic force to defend not only its electoral base but also its long-held identity as the principal democratic force.