KATHMANDU, March 6: As vote counting continues across the country, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has opened its winning streak with a decisive victory in the federal capital. Ranju Neupane (Darshana) has been elected from Kathmandu–1, becoming the first candidate among the 165 constituencies for the House of Representatives (HoR) to be officially declared elected.
Darshana secured 15,455 votes, comfortably defeating her closest rival Prabal Thapa of the Nepali Congress, who garnered 6,364 votes. According to Chief Returning Officer Churaman Khadka, the RSP candidate won the race by a margin of 9,091 votes.
A total of 29,774 votes were cast in the constituency. Of these, 29,082 were valid while 692 votes were invalid.
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The victory marks a symbolic beginning for the RSP in the ongoing vote count, with Darshana emerging as the first confirmed winner nationwide. Her win in a prominent Kathmandu constituency is likely to boost the party’s morale as counting progresses in other districts.
Darshana, 30, joined the RSP from the Bibeksheel Sajha Party shortly before the election. She first rose to national attention when she contested the Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayoral election in 2017 at the age of 21, becoming one of the youngest prominent candidates in the race. She previously served as general secretary of the Bibeksheel Sajha Party.
Academically, she holds master’s degrees in political science and counselling psychology. She has worked as a lecturer at Thames International College and as a guest faculty member at Nicholson College, building her profile as a social education expert.
Known for her outspoken advocacy against violence against women, Darshana has also been active in campaigns promoting the right to information, freedom of expression and civil rights, establishing herself as a young social activist before entering parliamentary politics.
Her victory now places her among the emerging new-generation leaders entering Nepal’s federal parliament as voters await further results from across the country.
