Rabi Lamichhane was a television personality until a few years ago, known for his confrontational talk show Sidha Kura Janata Sang (Direct talk with the people), in which he frequently criticised politicians and highlighted public grievances.
Buoyed by his popularity, he launched a political experiment. In June 2022, he founded the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). He strategically included “Swatantra”, meaning “independent”, in the name to signal that the party was distinct from the established parties. The elections were just six months away.
