External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated Shisir Khanal on becoming Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and expressed eagerness to enhance the partnership between India and Nepal. Khanal assumed the role after Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s new Prime Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his congratulations to Shah and expressed willingness to strengthen bilateral ties for the benefit of both nations’ citizens.
Shah, the new Prime Minister of Nepal, was elected as the parliamentary party leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) following the party’s significant victory in recent parliamentary elections. At 35 years old, Shah is one of the youngest Prime Ministers in Nepal’s history, reflecting a shift towards younger leadership in the country’s politics.
The RSP’s victory in the elections, where it secured a near two-thirds majority, led to Shah’s appointment as the 47th Prime Minister of Nepal. Shah’s popularity among the younger generation and his declaration as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate were instrumental in the party’s electoral success.
In a notable electoral win, Shah defeated former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli by a substantial margin in the parliamentary elections. His victory in Jhapa-5 in eastern Nepal marked the highest number of votes received by a candidate in Nepal since 1991. Shah’s political journey began in 2022 when he won the mayoral election in Kathmandu as an independent candidate.
India and Nepal share strong ties rooted in commonalities of culture, language, and religion, with India being Nepal’s largest development partner. The Indian Embassy in Nepal highlights the focus on large-scale infrastructure projects under grants as a significant aspect of India’s development assistance to Nepal since the 1950s.
