Rabi Lamichhane

Rabi Lamichhane^[a] (born 13 September 1975)^[1] is a Nepali politician who has served as chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) since 2022. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs on two separate occasions, both under Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Lamichhane was a member of the House of Representatives from Chitwan 2 from 28 April 2023 until the dissolution of the lower house on 12 September 2025.^[2] He was re-elected to the same seat in the 2026 general election with 54,402 votes, his third consecutive victory in the constituency.^[3]

Before entering politics, Lamichhane was a television presenter and journalist, where he gained widespread popularity.^[4]

Lamichhane rose to fame as the host of a television show on News24, setting the Guinness World Record for the longest talk show in April 2013 at over 62 hours.^[5] The previous record had been set by two Ukrainian presenters who stayed on air for 52 hours in 2011.^[6] The record has since been broken by Alexandru Raducanu of Romania, who hosted a show exceeding 72 hours.^[7]

He went on to host Sidha Kura Pradhanmantri Sanga (Straight Talk with the Prime Minister) with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Nepal Television and News24,^[8] and later hosted Sidha Kura Janata Sanga on News24. Lamichhane resigned from News24 in January 2021 and launched a new version of his show, Sidha Kura, on Galaxy 4K TV.^[9]

On 16 June 2022, Lamichhane announced his resignation from Galaxy 4K TV to contest the 2022 general election.^[10] He announced the formation of the Rastriya Swatantra Party on 21 June 2022, of which he remains chairman, and registered his candidacy from Chitwan 2.^[11]

Lamichhane was elected with 49,261 votes, defeating incumbent minister of state Umesh Shrestha of the Nepali Congress by a margin of 34,170 votes.^[12] His party then supported Pushpa Kamal Dahal's nomination for prime minister, and Lamichhane joined the government as deputy prime minister and minister of home affairs.^[13]

During his campaign, a complaint was filed alleging that Lamichhane had not renounced his Nepali citizenship while holding American citizenship, in violation of Nepal's prohibition on dual citizenship.^[14] On 27 January 2023, the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled that Lamichhane had not followed due process to reacquire Nepali citizenship and was therefore not a legal citizen, stripping him of his parliamentary seat and ministerial positions.^[15]

After reacquiring Nepali citizenship, he contested the by-election for Chitwan 2 in April 2023 and was re-elected with an even greater margin than in 2022.^[16]

In the 2026 general election, held on 5 March 2026, Lamichhane won Chitwan 2 for a third consecutive time, securing 54,402 votes against his nearest rival Mina Kumari Kharel of the Nepali Congress, who received 14,564 votes — a victory margin of 39,838 votes.^[17] The RSP secured a near two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, a historic result driven by a surge in support from younger voters following the 2025 Gen Z protest movement that had toppled the government of KP Sharma Oli.^[18]

Following the election, Lamichhane remained chairman of the RSP while the party moved to elect Balendra Shah — a prominent RSP leader and former mayor of Kathmandu — as parliamentary party leader and prime ministerial candidate, consistent with a seven-point agreement signed between the two leaders on 28 December 2025.^[19] At an orientation programme for newly elected RSP lawmakers on 18–19 March 2026, Lamichhane warned members that the party's "right to recall" provision would be enforced to maintain discipline, and called on them to prioritise lawmaking and constituency engagement over media appearances and ministerial lobbying.^[20]

Lamichhane has served twice as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, both times under Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Across both terms, the Rastriya Swatantra Party alternated coalition cooperation between Dahal's Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and K. P. Sharma Oli's Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), reflecting a pragmatic approach to Nepal's coalition politics.^[24]

On 26 December 2022, Lamichhane was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs following the RSP's decision to back Dahal's bid for premiership.^[25][26]

During this period, Lamichhane emphasized administrative transparency and pledged to modernize the internal security system. His tenure ended abruptly on 27 January 2023, when the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled that he had not properly reacquired Nepali citizenship after renouncing his U.S. citizenship, invalidating both his parliamentary seat and his ministerial appointment.^[27] He subsequently tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Dahal.^[28]

After regaining Nepali citizenship and winning the Chitwan 2 by-election, Lamichhane was reappointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs on 6 March 2024.^[29][30]

In his second term, Lamichhane initiated internal administrative reforms, including the removal of politically appointed police and bureaucratic officials who had overstayed their legal tenure.^[31] His agenda also included enhancing coordination between federal and provincial police bodies, curbing corruption in transfer processes, and promoting digital governance.^[32] His term ended on 15 July 2024 following a change in coalition arrangements.^[24]

In early 2025, Lamichhane was arrested in connection with allegations of embezzlement involving multiple savings and credit cooperatives across Nepal (This case is still in court, yet to receive final verdict). He was initially held at Rupandehi District Prison from 4 April 2025, following a joint bench of the Tulsipur High Court overturning a lower court's bail order.^[33] The cooperative fraud case alleged that Lamichhane and others had transferred over Rs109 million from the Butwal-based Supreme Savings and Credit Cooperative to Gorkha Media Network Pvt Ltd, a media company of which Lamichhane was managing director before entering politics.^[34] He faced additional charges in cooperatives based in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, and Parsa. The Supreme Court of Nepal upheld his detention on 22 May 2025.

After spending 84 days in custody in Kaski District, Lamichhane was released on a bail of Rs6.5 million by the Kaski District Court in January 2025, pending further proceedings in the Pokhara-based Suryadarshan Cooperative case.^[35] He was subsequently returned to custody at Nakkhu Prison in Kathmandu over the Supreme Cooperative fraud case in Butwal.

During the Gen Z-led protests of September 2025, which resulted in widespread unrest and the storming of several prisons across Nepal, Lamichhane left Nakkhu Prison on 9 September 2025. He later told a government investigation commission that he had not escaped but had been released with the knowledge and cooperation of prison authorities and police leadership.^[36] His departure from prison drew significant public criticism. He voluntarily returned to Nakkhu Prison a few days later, posting on Facebook: "I am sending myself back to jail as a birthday gift."^[37]

On 18 December 2025, the Butwal bench of the Tulsipur High Court ordered Lamichhane's release on bail of Rs27.48 million in the Supreme Cooperative fraud case.^[38] He was formally released on 19 December 2025 after completing the necessary paperwork at the Rupandehi District Court.^[39]

On 30 December 2025, Attorney General Sabita Bhandari amended the charge sheets filed in district courts in Kaski, Kathmandu, Rupandehi, and Parsa, removing claims related to "organised crime" and "money laundering" against Lamichhane. This decision was subsequently challenged by a writ petition, and the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered the Attorney General's Office to submit additional original documents to justify the amendment.^[40][41] As of March 2026, the cooperative fraud case remains ongoing and sub judice.

While Lamichhane has become one of Nepal's most prominent public figures, critics have raised questions about his journalistic style and the "cult of personality" surrounding him, pointing to what they describe as "nationalist posturing" and "simplistic storylines".^[42]

On 5 February 2023, following the Supreme Court ruling that stripped him of his positions, Lamichhane held a press conference alleging that mainstream media owners had conspired to defame him. The Federation of Nepali Journalists condemned his remarks as an attack on the media industry.^[43]

Lamichhane was married to Isha Lamichhane from 1995 until their divorce in January 2019. Although the couple reportedly separated around 2009, they remained legally married until finalizing their divorce a decade later.^[44] They have two daughters, Richa and Riya Lamichhane, who later moved to the United States with their mother.^[45]

On 21 January 2019, shortly after his divorce, Lamichhane married Nikita Poudel, then chairperson of the Nepal Film Development Board.^[46]

According to his former wife Isha Lamichhane, Lamichhane left for the United States without informing her, after which she received threatening calls from a woman claiming to have children with him.^[47] Isha also alleged that Lamichhane had a relationship with a foreign woman that resulted in the birth of a son outside their marriage.^[48] Reports also alleged that while Isha was living in the United States, Lamichhane was engaged in a relationship with Nikita Poudel, whom he married days after his divorce in 2019.^[49]

• Balen Shah
• Swarnim Wagle
• Sumana Shrestha