Singha durbar: Senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Balendra Shah, made a notable appearance at the oath-taking ceremony for newly-elected members of the House of Representatives, wearing a ‘Silam Sakma’ badge on his coat lapel. The event took place in the Parliament Building located in Singha Durbar.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the ‘Silam Sakma’ is a cultural symbol of the Kirat people, believed to act as a talisman. In the Kirati language, ‘Si’ means death, while ‘Lam’ means way, and wearing a Silam Sakma is thought to block the path to death, serving as an auspicious and protective amulet. During the ceremony, leader Balen sat in the first row, flanked by RSP party president Rabi Lamichhane on his right, and Vice Presidents DP Aryal and Dr. Swarnim Wagle on his left.
Padma Prasad Pandeya, Secretary General of the Federal Parliament, welcomed the newly elected MPs at the oath-taking ceremony. The senior-most member of parliament, Arjun Narsingh KC, presided over the meeting and administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new members.
Following the ceremony, senior leader Shah drove himself out of the parliament building premises. The RSP has proposed Shah, elected from Jhapa Constituency No. 5, as Prime Minister and is preparing to select him as its parliamentary party leader in a meeting scheduled for this afternoon.
The RSP emerged as the largest party in parliament, securing 182 seats in the House of Representatives member election held on March 5. Balendra Shah, who was elected as the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City in the 2022 local level elections as an independent candidate, is well-regarded among the youth. He is a structural engineer by profession and is also recognized as a popular rapper.