Oli Congratulates Balen on Jhapa-5 Victory; Sharma Accepts Responsibility for Congress Defeat

Kathmandu / March 7 — Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli has congratulated senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party Balendra Shah (Balen) on his victory from Jhapa Constituency-5 in the parliamentary election.

Oli extended his congratulations and best wishes through a Facebook post shortly after being defeated by Shah by a margin of 49,614 votes in Jhapa-5.

According to the vote count, Shah secured 68,348 votes, while Oli received 18,734 votes.

Sharing a photograph from the time when Shah was elected mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City—when Oli had presented him with a tabla as a gift—Oli wrote a congratulatory message wishing Shah success in his five-year term.

“May your five-year tenure proceed smoothly and successfully,” Oli wrote.

Sharma Accepts Responsibility for Defeat

Meanwhile, Vice President of the Nepali Congress Bishwo Prakash Sharma has said he is ready to take responsibility for the party’s defeat in the parliamentary elections.

In a video statement issued on Saturday, Sharma acknowledged that as part of the party leadership, he shares responsibility for the electoral setback.

“As a member of the leadership of the Nepali Congress, the responsibility for this defeat also falls partly on me,” Sharma said. “We will bear the consequences of this defeat, and if the entire blame must be carried, I am ready to carry it—so are we.”

Sharma also said the party accepts the public mandate given to the Rastriya Swatantra Party to lead the country. He added that the Nepali Congress and other mainstream political parties would undertake a serious review of why public trust in them has been declining.

Sharma admitted that he takes responsibility for the party’s inability to transform itself despite holding leadership roles earlier as General Secretary and now as Vice President.

“On behalf of the Nepali Congress, I would like to thank all voters who participated in the election and helped strengthen democracy,” he said.

He also stated that although the party had attempted to send a message of reform through a special general convention, it did not have sufficient time to implement meaningful changes.

Noting that the election took place less than 50 days after the special convention concluded, Sharma compared the party’s situation to “a player entering the field during injury time” and “a patient just discharged from the hospital being sent to wrestle.”