Kathmandu, April 22 -- Nepal's political landscape is undergoing a sharp reset after the rise of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), a relatively new force that has disrupted the dominance of traditional parties and forced them into introspection, restructuring and internal contestation.

Formed only about four years ago, the RSP secured a sweeping mandate in the 2026 parliamentary elections. The Nepali Congress, which emerged as the largest party in the House of Representatives in the 2022 polls, has been reduced to a weakened main opposition with just 38 seats. The CPN-UML and the Nepali Communist Party fared even worse, shrinking to 25 and 17 seats respectively.

The electoral outcome has triggered not just a struggle for relevance amo...