<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111128/636cd2a19c7e80680e08f924jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="1781"/><figcaption>Museum of Nepali Art (MoNA), a private museum, opened to the public in February 2020. MoNA has traditional and contemporary art on display. Photos: DRISHNA STHAPIT</figcaption></figure>Just entering into the basement museum inside one of the new blocks at the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3761#.YAGk8y2B3R0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu Guest House</a> complex in Thamel, visitors may feel their eyes are playing tricks.Is this the Rubin Museum in New York? Visitors can be forgiven for doubting if they are still in Nepal--the subdued lighting, elegant interior exude a perfectionist attention to detail, a place where modern melds seamlessly into traditional.Right away on entry, there are paintings of Ganesh, the auspicious elephant deity, and right after that the eyes are arrested by Raj Prakash Tuladhar’s Five Yoginis, a depiction of the Buddhist guardian deities of Kathmandu.The <a href="http://www.mona.com.np" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Museum of Nepali Art</a> (MoNA) was set up by Rajan Shakya (pictured below), the CEO and scion of the <a href="https://ktmgh.com/kathmandu-guest-house/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu Guest House (KGH) group</a>, who believes strongly that contemporary Nepali art compares to the best the world has to offer.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111128/636cd2a39c7e80680e08f925jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="844"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“Religion and art are interwoven so deeply in Nepali society. Yet most people here do not know about art even as they worship idols and temples,” says Shakya. “Think about the hands of those artists, and the talent it takes to be able to invoke <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/new-newa-art/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gods in idols</a>, and inspire such deep faith in another human being.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111128/636cd2a69c7e80680e08f926jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="606" height="580">Shakya’s passion shows in the museum that he has helped create. He has long known that <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali art makes the rounds in international exhibitions</a>, and that buyers wait in line to snap up work by Nepali artists.“I wanted Nepalis to know that there is a place in Nepal for Nepali art, and be proud of our artists, whether they construct temples, make paubha, or sculpt statues,” says Shakya whose MoNA houses contemporary and traditional art by living Nepali artists, around 85% of which is from Shakya’s private collection.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111128/636cd2a79c7e80680e08f927jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="947"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“There is nothing more meaningful to Nepali artists than having a permanent space in Nepal itself,” says Raj Prakash Tuladhar, whose paintings have been exhibited internationally.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111128/636cd2ac9c7e80680e08f928jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="225">MoNA’s walls are dedicated to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/old-art-meets-new/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">contemporary art</a> that spans styles and methods, from golden prints of Kathmandu’s temples to vibrant acrylic abstracts. Up-and-coming artist Rashana Bajracharya’s reimagination of Mona Lisa as a cancer survivor—serenely smiling, without hair—hangs front and centre, one frame away from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/lain-singh-bangdels-legacy-lives-on/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lain Singh Bangdel</a>'s painting of casually geometrical, multi-coloured roofs, titled Huts of Kathmandu. <figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111128/636cd2ad9c7e80680e08f929jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Sarada Man Shrestha’s In Quest of Water, a murky mixed media piece portraying a woman at a ढुङ्गे धारा stone spout done in earthy browns and greens, hangs close to a pencil sketch of Queen Aishwarya.“The museum was created for present-day artist, they should be able to enjoy fame in their lifetime,” says Shakya. But some of the paintings span generations of artists. Indeed, four out of six paintings from Manik Man Chitrakar’s Buddha’s Life series are on display at the museum.Three paintings hang on the Arya Tara Wall of the museum, two among them completed decades apart by Anandamuni Shakya, the Nepali pioneer of 3D sketches, in 1938 and his grandson Surendra Man Shakya, in 2017.The third Arya Tara painting, Samundra Man Singh Shrestha’s oil on canvas, compared with Anandamuni Shakya’s mineral pigment on canvas serves as historical documentation of how the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">traditional Nepali art-form</a>, and 3D art, has evolved.Shrestha’s Green Tara is so detailed, the gold ornaments against her skin so intricately painted, that one almost expects to feel the ridges of gold and gemstones should they reach out and touch the painting.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111128/636cd2b09c7e80680e08f92ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="842"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The museum is dedicated not just to showcasing art, but also to the work and resources that go into the process. Purna P Hyoju’s mineral paints are staged along with one of his incomplete paintings, as are Anandamuni Shakya’s paintbrushes, Surya Bahadur Chitrakar’s inkwell, and Raj Prakash Man Tuladhar’s eyeglasses, a way of connecting the art to the artist, and the artist to the viewer.The museum also has sculptures ranging from floor to ceiling bronzes to black stone busts. Besides curated artwork, attention is also paid to the interior, the deep red walls providing a textured backdrop to some of the exhibits. There are carved wooden columns salvaged from a building destroyed by the earthquake.Gold frames, sleek and streamlined, hold the contemporary artwork, while the ones that display the traditional paintings are ornate and detailed. The ambient conditions also need to be just right, and MoNA has humidifiers, air purifiers and temperature control.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTNHpYk4ZvwMoNA opened in February 2020, but <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/a-single-brushstroke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">could not welcome visitors because of the pandemic</a>. It did hold two online exhibitions during the lockdown: a virtual 360° Covid-themed show titled tangential stress 2020 was the first of its kind in Asia.The year of isolation gave Shakya and his team the time to iron out the kinks for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-museums-reopen-after-8-months/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">physical opening after the lockdown</a>. Shakya hopes to eventually set up different museums for contemporary and traditional art, and hopes to expand to Patan and Pokhara, while collaborating with museums internationally.“Art is at the forefront of the preservation of our culture and heritage,” says heritage conservationist Alok Tuladhar. “But Nepali art is only accessible to the über elite, and we need to expand that circle so that more people appreciate the artwork and the artist.”For people who are unable to visit the museum, all the artwork is available for free perusal online. Says Shakya, “In Nepal, visiting museums has never been an activity like shopping, or going to the movies or restaurants. Nepalis also need entertainment that is more stimulating and meaningful.”

Shristi Karki

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Nepali art finds a new home

<img width="1250" height="833" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5b69c7e80680e031440jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>In the land of magnificent traditional artforms like Paubha and Thanka, some connoisseurs may not even know about Nepal’s burgeoning contemporary art scene. Similarly, the young crowd that finds creative outlets in the digital arts, manipulated photos or iconoclastic graphics, may be ignorant of Nepal’s rich legacy of highly developed traditional arts. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the group Tilicho Kala, with the support of Old Durbar, has organised a four-day art exhibition, ‘Synthesis’.“The two styles of art seem to exist in separate bubbles, and each is stubbornly ignorant of the other. Through this exhibition we want to provide a platform which encourages dialogue and interaction necessary for the growth of our art culture,” says Ujen Norbu Gurung event organiser of Synthesis and founder of Tilicho Kala.The exhibition at Siddhartha Art Gallery displays traditional Paubha paintings and sculptures on the ground floor and contemporary oil paintings and digital manipulation on the first floor. Delicately rendered deities by renowned Paubha painters Lok Chitrakar, Prem M Chitrakar, Samundra M S Shrestha, and Kichaa M Chitrakar are on display along with sculptures by Pratham R Bajracharya, Punya R Bajracharya, Sapta R Bajracharya, Amir Shakya and Pradip Shakya. Also featured are works that experiment with different styles by contemporary artists Rashana Bajracharya, Erina Tamrakar and Michelle LL, and photographers Yanik Shrestha, Samir Maharjan and Aakash Pradhan. <img width="482" height="724" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5b99c7e80680e031441jpeg.jpg" alt="">Over 300 art enthusiasts keenly discussed and reviewed the works on display at the opening ceremony at Chez Caroline on Wednesday, 2 May. Among the attendees were Chief Justice Deepak Raj Joshi and Justice Meera Khadka. Performances by the poetry group Word Warriors, and musical bands Unplugged Aawaj, and ‘The Night Band’ will close the exhibition on May 5. <figure><img width="1086" height="724" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5bb9c7e80680e031442jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Synthesis Art Exhibition 2018 is the second edition of Tilicho Kala’s yearly effort to support the arts and provide more exposure to Nepali artists. The company was founded four years ago, aiming to curate and promote Nepali Art and provide a platform for young talent, and this year got support of Yeti Distillery, the producer of Old Durbar blended whisky.  “The process of crafting a bottle of Old Durbar is an art of its own. Old Durbar is a Nepali product that has created a history here, so we want to do something that connects to Nepal’s identity. And the art of any nation identifies it, so it made sense for us to support Nepal’s art,” explained Vinaya Rajkarnikar, Brand Manager at Yeti Distillery. <img width="1086" height="724" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101152/6368d5be9c7e80680e031443jpeg.jpg" alt="">Synthesis Art ExhibitionSiddhartha Art GalleryBabar Mahal RevisitedTill 5 May

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Old art meets new

Nepali Congress (NC) President Gagan Thapa's candidacy in Sarlahi-4 has thrust this Madhes constituency into rare national focus. If Thapa wins and the NC emerges as the largest party, Sarlahi-4 will send Nepal's next prime minister to Parliament. But if he does not, Nepal’s grand old party will face the next years in the opposition to fight another day. There is a troubling paradox in Sarlahi-4 where the district bordering the Indian state of Bihar has been a battleground for national politicians with fierce electoral competition, all while remaining one of the region's most underserved and underdeveloped constituencies.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260305140344_069cbbc11e971a851b444866dee57f760c0cc611ed40bdf96c627e343e3c0485.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20260305140344_069cbbc11e971a851b444866dee57f760c0cc611ed40bdf96c627e343e3c0485" data-rendition-name="original" width="1802" height="1276" loading="lazy" alt="Sarlahi-4 voting"> <figcaption>Photo: MADHES PAHARA MEDIA</figcaption> </figure>  Ever since Mahant Thakur split from NC in 2008 to form the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party, the district has seen rotating political alliances and fragmented votes. Yet, despite 18 years of candidates promising change irrigation schemes remain incomplete, market access for farmers has not improved, unemployment is high.&nbsp; On election day, voters here marked their ballots with fingers stained by dye from the Holi festival the day before. The road leading to Barathawa Bazar was deserted for the most part, except for some youth riding in motorcycles. This is where the high-profile contest between Gagan Thapa and RSP nominee Amresh Singh is being staged. Among the other aspirants is 27-year-old UML candidate Amnish Yadav, the son of former MP Shiv Pujan Yadav. The Yadavs are a political family with considerable caste influence in the constituency. In 2022 Yadav’s daughter Madhumala Yadav received over 14,000 votes here, ranking third overall. Yadav was voted MP from the Maoist party, but defected to the UML this time. His other son is the chair of Sarlahi’s Ramnagar Rural Municipality. Sarhali-4 has 121,012 voters, and the Yadav is banking on the 27,000-strong Yadav vote bank. Sarlahi-4 voter Avishek Sah told us he wanted his vote to go to a young nominee and not someone who has been MP thrice already, like Amresh Singh. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260305140344_527c5c2f9aa6a6c7e3bbdfbfe79fdafb0a0b56a62427e9ced86b924c6c563b10.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20260305140344_527c5c2f9aa6a6c7e3bbdfbfe79fdafb0a0b56a62427e9ced86b924c6c563b10" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Sarlahi-4 voting"> <figcaption>Photo: AYUSHA CHALISE</figcaption> </figure>  To make local loyalties even more complicated, Amnish Yadav’s uncle, Harinder Yadav is an active NC member and walked side by side with Gagan Thapa during his door-to-door campaigns.&nbsp; The NC is betting on Thapa getting over 60% of the total votes. Amresh Singh’s tally could be limited to 10,000 votes — that too because of the nationwide RSP wave, and the popularity of its prime ministerial hopeful Balendra (Balen) Shah. “Amresh Singh lost his appeal when he played victim after he was denied a ticket by the NC in 2022,” Harinder Yadav says. Voters we spoke to here agreed with this assessment that Singh did not do much for the district once he got elected in the past, and being a part of the RSP seems to be his biggest asset. “The only reason I voted for Amresh Singh is because Balen is in RSP,” local voter Mahendra Gupta from Barathawa. &nbsp;“This is his last chance to return the people’s trust.”&nbsp; Gupta is aware of the institutional presence of the NC here. The party received the most votes in 2022 local elections, adding that the candidacy of someone as high-profile as Thapa is a positive sign for Sarlahi-4.&nbsp; Other voters like Ruby Gupta are rooting for both the NC and the RSP. “I will vote for Gagan and for Balen,” she says, adding that her FPTP vote will go to Thapa while her PR ballot would be for the RSP. RSP supporters are confident that their candidate will win big because even though many voters may not have openly voiced their support they still voted for the party and candidate. The Balen Wave was not limited to RSP voters, but also to UML candidate Yadav, who said in a gathering that he will be “the voters Balen” if they elect him. He touted his party’s track record in government, and largely campaigned on administrative efficiency, infrastructural expansion, and local service delivery. Amresh Singh ran on the RSP’s anti-establishment brand, promising to fight corruption, challenge traditional party politics, improve basic services such as education, health, jobs, and infrastructure, while pushing for stronger representation and development for Madhes.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260305140344_982df01801fa7d3532ca0555ecb8a0756e3223be3d93650e08ca82a312dc2ebd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20260305140344_982df01801fa7d3532ca0555ecb8a0756e3223be3d93650e08ca82a312dc2ebd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1200" loading="lazy" alt="Sarlahi-4 voting"> <figcaption>Photo:AYUSHA CHALISE</figcaption> </figure>  Singh’s rivalry with his NC competitor goes beyond the ballot— he allegedly blames Thapa for being denied the NC ticket in 2022, which led him to win the election from Sarlahi-4 as an independent. &nbsp; For his part, Gagan Thapa focused on a more pragmatic development agenda that includes upgrading roads and irrigation, improving schools and hospitals, supporting farmers, and creating employment opportunities with improved governance at the centre. He also promised to build an engineering college in the constituency.&nbsp; Thapa also promoted his own anti-establishment image within the NC, repeatedly reminding voters on the campaign trail that he represents the aspirations of the youth.&nbsp; On Thursday, as voting progressed, there were violent disruptions in two centres where voting was briefly halted. But Sarlahi district police spokesperson Saroj Rai told Nepali Times that there were no major problems. Police in collaboration with the Nepal Army sent the ballot papers to the district’s counting stations, where the votes are expected to be tallied through the night and the winner announced Friday morning.

Sarlahi-4 nervously watches ballot count

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Nepal Election live results

As this report is uploaded, the latest results in Nepal’s election show that the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is headed for an even bigger sweep than most had predicted.
The RSP was leading by large margins in 49 of 165 constituencies, &nbsp;with the UML, NC and NCP trailing far behind. Prominent political figures from the old parties like K P Oli, Minwndra Prasad Rijal, Ishwar Pokhrel, Bishnu Prasad Poudel, Bimalendra Nidhi all seem headed for defeat.
It does look like the RSP’s bell election symbol is ringing right across Nepal — from cities to the remotest districts in the mountains and plains. The party’s blue colour is sweeping the land.
The Nepali people seem to have sent a clear message that they were throughly dissatisfied with the chronic failure of the three main parties to work in the national interest to create jobs and deliver development. It was also an expression of lingering outrage over the the 8 September massacre outside Parliament. &nbsp;
It now looks almost certain that Balendra Shah will get to be Nepal’s next, and youngest, prime minister. Hopefully he will be leading a cabinet of competent and honest technocrats. It remains to seen how the power equation between Shah and the RSP’s leader, Rabi Lamichhane will play out.
Lamichhane is out of jail on bail for fraud cases which he has called political vendetta by the previous regime. Both he and Shah are charismatic and ambitious. Their working relationship will determine Nepal's political stability and whether it can avoid the political cronyism of the past.
This election was not just about casting votes. It was about standing up to principles and a value system, and respecting the hopes and aspirations of Nepal’s youth. It to push for transparent government and against impunity — including for the gunning down of young Nepalis in cold blood.
<div class="embed-block"><iframe src="https://election-geo-dashboard.pages.dev/" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"> </iframe>Live election results as winners of candidates are announced.</div>
CAN DO MAN
Shah got mixed reviews as mayor. He was impulsive and ad hoc, but most people inKathmandu and beyond liked his can-do attitude and unconventional style which stood in sharp contract to the legacy leaders. Over his three year mayorship he showed more maturity and planning capacity.&nbsp;
But he always ran headlong into opposition from the federal government over his urban planning and other initiatives to make Kathmandu more liveable. Coming from a civil and structural engineering background, he was involved in building low-cost housing after the 2015 earthquake.
But his public persona is more tied to his irreverent rap lyrics that stood up for the marginalised underprivileged in society, while exposing the high-handedness and apathy of the state. But this also exposed contradictions because he also used his own municipal guards to beat and chase away street vendors and squatters.
But there is no doubt that a combination of the sharp messaging in his rap videos amplified by the algorithms of social media ignited Nepal’s youth to rise up. It was more about optics and emotion than policy and strategy.
He studied Kathmandu district for five years, visiting experts in every field before announcing his independent candidacy for mayor in 2022. Many like me in his own constitunecy did not know who he was and where he came from.
He is a year younger than my architect son, and I saw in him a reflection of my own son’s commitment to serving the nation. I voted for him to be mayor despite his sometimes erratic behaviour, which could be attributed to his youth.
The best sign of his strategic planning, which unsettled septuagenarian and octogenarian politicians, is the he did not grab the first easy option of becoming prime minister in September when GenZ activists offered him the post.&nbsp;
Joining RSP was a masterstroke, as was his challenge to Oli in Jhapa to project national branding. He needed a party platform and Lamichhane needed a popular prime ministerial persona since he himself could not hold the post.
Shah has shown the capacity to take risks when he believes the value justifies the action for the country. Now, he will have to show more strategic thinking on a national scale, as well as understand the delicate geopolitics of Nepal.&nbsp;
He must rise above the kind of crude social media posts that earned him followers on X, but did nothing to erase his erratic and impulsive image.&nbsp;
Some assume that behind his trademark RayBan shades is a closet dictator, and his past remarks about Hitler are still up on social media. He has in the past shown impatience with criticism, unleashing supporters on social media to troll detractors.&nbsp;
Even so, the public seems willing to place their hope on an educated young man with integrity and a proven record for planning at the helm. By tomorrow it will be clear whether the hope Nepalis have held has been fulfilled, and the coming years will show if the RSP will lead Nepalis to a better future.
The voters seem to have shown the door even to the NC despite the fact that under Gagan Thapa, the party had turned a new leaf. A strong government under Prime Minister Balendra Shah heading a carefully selected cabinet and a strong opposition of the NC, UML and other parties for check and balance may be just what we need for a stable Nepal.&nbsp;
Nepalis have collectively always shown maturity in elections. This time they have given a resounding endorsement for integrity and for good governance.

Bells ring all over Nepal

After Thursday’s election, Nepalis are in a wait-and-watch mode. The Election Commission says counting ballot papers will be expedited this time, and the results for the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) will start being declared within days. In 2022, it took three weeks for the final results to be tallied.&nbsp;
But winning an election is only half the challenge for the parties, forming a government under parliamentary politics is like a complicated mathematical equation.&nbsp;
In 2022, the Nepali Congress (NC) emerged as the biggest party, winning 89 seats. But the UML with 78 seats and the Maoists with 32 formed a minority government. In fact, Sher Bahadur Deuba did not become PM then despite leading the biggest party in Parliament.
This time, there is an unmistakeable Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) wave led by its prime ministerial candidate, Balendra Shah. Besides his own popularity, Shah represents change which most Nepalis are clamouring for after decades of corrupt and feckless coalitions that did not deliver.&nbsp;
The past months of campaigning has seen massive youth engagement on social media through memes, AI clips, and viral images. Digital content that appeals to emotion rather than policy debate between candidates shape electoral outcomes in Nepal and elsewhere. &nbsp;
Shah represents GenZ aspirations, and was their candidate for prime minister. It was only when he declined that Sushila Karki was nominated. None of the political parties in the recent past -- new, old, or revolutionary — have won enough seats to go it alone.&nbsp;
The most recent majority government was formed by the short-lived Communist Party of Nepal after the UML-Maoist merger in 2022. But that rare two-thirds majority collapsed after a power struggle between K P Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The only party to have won a majority was the NC in the 1991 and 1999 elections. But it is near impossible for it to repeat this success now, even with Gagan Thapa's rebranding of the party.&nbsp;
We have compiled these possible scenarios for election outcome in order of likelihood:
RSP gets a majority
RSP hits the magic 138 to form a government entirely on its own. Balendra Shah wins Jhapa-5, and becomes the new prime minister at 35, the youngest ever to hold the office in Nepal. But danger lurks: there could be a personality clash between Shah and Lamichhane who are both equally ambitious. History could repeat itself.&nbsp;
RSP wins but does not get a majority
RSP is likely to sweep the most votes, but what if it does not secure enough seats for a majority? It would need a coalition partner and Nepali Communist Party (NCP) under Pushpa Kamal Dahal could fit the bill, but only if it has the numbers. The RSP is not likely to team up with the UML or NC.
The NCP is relatively untainted by the 8 September events, and also has former UML defectors like Madhav Kumar Nepal and Bhim Rawal who could bag their rural vote banks. After all, there are no permanent foes in politics. If the royalist RPP and Tarai-based Janata Samajwadi have enough seats, those could be options for the RSP. &nbsp;
NC is second
The NC under the new leadership of Gagan Thapa could become the second biggest force and form a government with RSP in a power-sharing deal with Shah. This would be the most stable scenario since the RSP and NC have competent and idealistic young technocrats. Thapa himself embodies a strong combination of both old and new politics to navigate the system for more efficient government. But then Thapa and the RSP's Rabi Lamichhane do not get along.
NC and NCP form a majority
If the NC becomes the largest party but not by a big margin, it could join up with the NCP and Ujyalo. Teaming up with the UML would likely face backlash with the party and outside. If Gagan Thapa becomes prime minister he will face internal pressure from both Deuba loyalists. Same old story.
Minority coalition of NC, UML and NCP
RSP becomes the first party but does not get a majority, paving the way for the three legacy parties to cobble together a minority government. While this is possible in Nepal’s parliamentary system, such a scenario is likely to lead to more instability and dissatisfaction among young Nepalis demanding change, and even trigger street unrest. &nbsp;

arts

Nepali art finds a new home

Old art meets new

Sarlahi-4 nervously watches ballot count

Nepal Election live results

Bells ring all over Nepal

The magic 138