Rabi Lamichhane is a leader in Nepal.
He used to work on TV. He helped many people by talking on shows. Now he helps run his country. He works hard for his team. Do you like watching news on TV?
Rabi Lamichhane is a leader in Nepal.
He used to work on TV. He hosted a very long talk show. It lasted for over 62 hours!
Later, he started a new group. This group is his political party. He helped lead the government.
He served as a deputy leader.
He faced some hard times. Some people said he broke rules. He had to fix his papers. He became a citizen again.
He also had legal problems. Some people said he took money. He went to jail for a while. He was later let out.
He is still a busy leader. Many people vote for him. He works in a place called Chitwan.
Rabi Lamichhane is a famous leader in Nepal. Before politics, he was a TV host. He once set a world record. His talk show lasted over 62 hours!
In 2022, he started the Rastriya Swatantra Party. He won a seat in the House of Representatives. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister. He held this role twice under Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
He faced some legal troubles. In 2023, a court said he was not a legal citizen. He had to follow the right steps to become a citizen again. Later, he was arrested over a case about money in cooperatives. This means groups that save money. He spent time in jail but was later released on bail.
In 2026, he won his seat for a third time. He got 54,402 votes in Chitwan 2. His party won many seats in the government. This happened after big protests by young people in 2025. Lamichhane is still a very important leader in his country.
Rabi Lamichhane is a well-known political leader in Nepal. Before he entered politics, he was a very popular television presenter and journalist. He became famous for hosting shows on News24. In April 2013, he even set a Guinness World Record. His talk show lasted for over 62 hours. This was longer than a previous record set in 2011 by two presenters from Ukraine.
In 2022, Lamichhane decided to run for office. He started a new group called the Rastriya Swatantra Party, or RSP. He ran for a seat in the House of Representatives from a place called Chitwan 2. He won that election with 49,261 votes. This victory was quite large compared to the person he ran against. Because of his party's success, he joined the government. He served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs under Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
His career has included some difficult legal moments. In early 2023, the Supreme Court of Nepal made a big ruling. The court said he had not followed the correct steps to get his Nepali citizenship back. This happened after he had been an American citizen from 2007 to 2017. Because of this, he lost his seat in parliament and his job in the government. However, he worked to follow the right rules. He re-acquired his Nepali citizenship on 29 January 2023. He then won a special election in Chitwan 2 later that year.
In 2025, Lamichhane faced more serious legal challenges. He was arrested regarding a case involving money in several cooperatives. Cooperatives are groups where people save and use money together. He spent time in different prisons, including Nakkhu Prison in Kathmandu. During big protests by young people in September 2025, he left the prison. He later said he left with the help of prison leaders. He even wrote on Facebook that he was sending himself back to jail as a birthday gift. He was eventually released on bail in December 2025.
Even with these hard times, his party grew very strong. In the general election on 5 March 2026, Lamichhane won his seat for a third time. He received 54,402 votes in Chitwan 2. This was a much larger win than his previous elections. His party, the RSP, won a huge number of seats in the House of Representatives. This happened after a movement of young people called Gen Z protested in 2025. Today, Lamichhane remains the chairman of his party. He continues to be a major figure in the politics of Nepal.
Rabi Lamichhane is a prominent political figure in Nepal. He is the chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), a party he founded in 2022. Lamichhane has held high-ranking government positions, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs. He has served in these roles on two separate occasions under Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. His career is marked by rapid political rises and complex legal challenges. He represents the Chitwan 2 constituency in the House of Representatives.
Before entering politics, Lamichhane was a highly successful journalist and television presenter. He gained massive popularity as a host on the News24 network. In April 2013, he achieved a Guinness World Record for the longest talk show. His broadcast lasted for more than 62 hours. This surpassed a 2011 record set by two presenters from Ukraine who stayed on air for 52 hours. He later hosted programs like Sidha Kura Pradhanmantri Sanga, which featured interviews with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
Lamichhane's political journey began in earnest in June 2022. He resigned from his media role at Galaxy 4K TV to run for office. He formed the RSP and ran for the Chitwan 2 seat. He won the election with 49,261 votes. This victory was significant because he defeated the incumbent minister of state, Umesh Shrestha, by a margin of 34,170 votes. Following this win, his party supported Pushpa Kamal Dahal for Prime Minister. This led to Lamichhane's first term as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs.
His first term faced a major legal obstacle regarding his citizenship. Nepal prohibits dual citizenship, meaning a person cannot hold two nationalities at once. Lamichhane had been an American citizen from 2007 to 2017. On 27 January 2023, the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled on his status. The court found he had not followed the correct legal process to reacquire Nepali citizenship. Consequently, the court stripped him of his parliamentary seat and his ministerial position. He successfully reacquired his citizenship through the proper legal channels on 29 January 2023. He then won a by-election for his seat in April 2023.
Lamichhane returned to government for a second term starting in March 2024. As Minister of Home Affairs, he focused on administrative reforms. He worked to remove officials who had stayed in their roles past their legal tenure. He also sought to improve coordination between federal and provincial police. His goal was to reduce corruption in the process of transferring officials. However, his second term ended on 15 July 2024 due to changes in the government coalition. The RSP often participated in coalitions by alternating support between the parties of Dahal and Oli.
In 2025, Lamichhane faced serious allegations involving financial mismanagement. He was arrested in connection with a case regarding several savings and credit cooperatives. The case alleged that over Rs109 million was transferred from a cooperative in Butwal to Gorkha Media Network Pvt Ltd. Lamichhane was the managing director of this media company before entering politics. He was held in various locations, including Rupandehi District Prison and Nakkhu Prison in Kathmandu. During the Gen Z protest movement in September 2025, he briefly left prison. He later stated that he left with the cooperation of prison authorities. He eventually returned to prison voluntarily, calling the act a "birthday gift."
Despite these legal difficulties, the RSP experienced a historic surge in 2026. During the general election on 5 March 2026, the RSP won a near two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. This success was driven by young voters following the 2025 Gen Z protest movement. Lamichhane won his Chitwan 2 seat for a third time with 54,402 votes. He defeated his closest rival, Mina Kumari Kharel, by a margin of 39,838 votes. Following the election, the party moved to elect Balendra Shah as the parliamentary party leader. Lamichhane remains the chairman of the RSP and a central figure in Nepali politics.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (2)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.