New Delhi/Kathmandu, March 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated the people and government of Nepal on the successful and peaceful conduct of elections in the country, stating that, as a close friend and neighbour, India remains steadfast in its commitment to working closely with the people and the new government in the country.

"I warmly congratulate the people and Government of Nepal on the successful and peaceful conduct of elections. It is heartening to see my Nepali sisters and brothers exercise their democratic rights so vibrantly," PM Modi posted on X.

Prime Minister Modi also described the successful elections as a historic milestone and a proud moment in Nepal's democratic journey.

"This historic milestone is a proud moment in Nepal's democratic journey. As a close friend and neighbour, India remains steadfast in its commitment to working closely with the people of Nepal and their new Government to scale new heights of shared peace, progress and prosperity," he stated.

Meanwhile, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which is sweeping the elections under the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system, is also performing strongly under the proportional representation system, securing over 56 per cent of the total votes counted till Saturday afternoon.

If the current FPTP leads translate into victories and the trend continues under the proportional system, the party could single-handedly secure two-thirds or close to two-thirds of the seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.

The RSP has accounted for over 56 per cent of the votes. No political party has ever received such a commanding lead under the proportional representation system since it was introduced in Nepal’s constitutional and legal framework, beginning with the Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007.

In the 2022 elections, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML), led by K P Sharma Oli, secured the highest number of votes. The party received 2.84 million votes, accounting for nearly 30.69 per cent of the total valid votes, according to the election body.

The Nepali Congress remained a distant second, accounting for just over 16 per cent of the total while the CPN-UML was third followed by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) led by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Under the FPTP system, the RSP — led by former media personality Rabi Lamichhane and its prime ministerial candidate Balen Shah — has already secured victory in 36 out of the 165 constituencies and is leading in another 83 seats.

Party president Lamichhane has already won from Chitwan-2, while Shah is far ahead of former Prime Minister Oli in Jhapa-3, the latter’s traditional stronghold, according to the latest vote tally released by the Election Commission of Nepal.

--IANS

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