Rabi Lamichhane (born 13 September 1975) is a Nepali politician and broadcaster who has served as founding chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) since 2022. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs on two 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. He was re-elected to the same seat in the 2026 general election with 54,402 votes, his third consecutive victory in the constituency.
Before entering politics, Lamichhane was a television presenter and journalist, where he gained widespread popularity.
Broadcast career
Rabi Lamichhane is best known for setting the World Record for the longest-ever live television talk show broadcast in April 2013 on News24. He remained on air for more than 62 hours, surpassing the previous 52-hour record set by two Ukrainian presenters in 2011.
The marathon broadcast was centered on the theme “Buddha Was Born in Nepal”, aimed at promoting Nepal internationally. During the program, he interviewed politicians, journalists, celebrities, and other representative people, while also taking live phone calls from viewers. In total, he interviewed more than 100 individuals throughout the show. Under Guinness World Records rules, he was allowed a five-minute break every hour. Throughout the non-stop broadcast, he ate on air and maintained the show’s flow for over two-and-a-half days. The record has since been broken by Alexandru Raducanu of Romania, who hosted a show exceeding 72 hours.
He went on to host Sidha Kura Pradhanmantri Sanga (Straight Talk with the Prime Minister) with KP Sharma Oli on Nepal Television and News24, 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.
Political career
On 16 June 2022, Lamichhane announced his resignation from Galaxy 4K TV to contest the 2022 general election. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
2026 general election and RSP's landslide victory 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. 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.
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. 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.
Re-election as RSP chairperson
Lamichhane was re-elected unopposed as Chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party at the party's first general convention held in Chitwan on 26 June 2026 after no other candidate filed a nomination for the post.
Electoral history
2022 general election
2023 by-election
2026 general election
Ministerial tenures
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.
First term (December 2022 – January 2023)
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.
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. He subsequently tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Dahal.
Second term (March – July 2024)
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.
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. His agenda also included enhancing coordination between federal and provincial police bodies, curbing corruption in transfer processes, and promoting digital governance. His term ended on 15 July 2024 following a change in coalition arrangements.
Cooperative fraud case and detention (2025)
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. 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. 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. He was subsequently returned to custody at Nakkhu Prison in Kathmandu over the Supreme Cooperative fraud case in Butwal.
Temporary release during Gen Z protests
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. 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."
Release on bail and charge sheet amendment
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. He was formally released on 19 December 2025 after completing the necessary paperwork at the Rupandehi District Court.
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. As of March 2026, the cooperative fraud case remains ongoing and sub judice.
Legal issues Suicide incitement On 15 August 2019, police arrested Lamichhane from his News 24 office in connection with the suicide of journalist Shalikram Pudasaini. In a video recorded before his death, Pudasaini, who had also worked for News24, had named Lamichhane, among others, as driving him to suicide. Chitwan police charged Lamichhane, along with two others, with abetment of suicide. His arrest provoked widespread protest rallies in his support across the country, with thousands of young people taking to the streets in Chitwan. Protestors saw Lamichhane's arrest as an attempt to stifle his journalism and retaliation for his exposure of corruption in the state. Chitwan District Court released Lamichhane on Rs 500,000 bail a few days later. Judge Hemanta Rawal eventually cleared Lamichhane of all charges.
Legal cases in the United States
Lamichhane has been involved in several financial and civil legal cases in the United States, mainly in the state of Maryland. Records from the Maryland Judiciary Case Search list multiple filings under his name related to credit and financial disputes during his stay in the U.S. One notable case, numbered 03L19001768 in the Baltimore County Circuit Court, involves financial claims by credit institutions. In total, nine cases were filed against him in Maryland, including one concerning alleged tax evasion by a company registered under his ownership. Several of these matters were resolved through civil proceedings. The filings can be reviewed through the official Maryland Judiciary Case Search portal.
Citizenship Lamichhane initially traveled to the United States on a visitor visa before eventually acquiring American citizenship. He was an American citizen from 2007 to 2017. He claimed that his previous Nepali citizenship was revived following the renunciation of his American citizenship. A ruling of the Supreme Court of Nepal on 27 January 2023 removed him from all public offices (deputy prime minister and home minister; party chairman and parliamentary party leader) and as Member of Parliament for not following due process and obtaining a new Nepali citizenship after renouncing his American citizenship in 2017. He re-acquired Nepali citizenship following due process on 29 January 2023.
Dual passport In 2015, Lamichhane was accused of obtaining a Nepali passport while holding both U.S. and Nepali passports, which is illegal under Nepali law that forbids dual citizenship and passports. The attorney general of Nepal declined to prosecute Lamichhane for passport issues, with the Supreme Court declining to consider it as part of their case regarding Lamichhane's citizenship.
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