Kathmandu, June 29 -- 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.

For decades, the Congress fought its biggest political battles against communist parties, with ideological competition largely divided between democratic and leftist forces. The emergence of the RSP has fundamentally altered that equation.

Instead of facing its strongest challenge from the left, the Congress is now competing with a party that has consciously positioned itself within the same...