- Dr. Dhawal Shumsher Rana launched the Jaya Nepal Party to restore Nepal’s status as a Hindu state and constitutional monarchy.
- Durga Prasai will serve as the Supreme Leader, while Rana chairs the party, which registers with the Election Commission on August 12.
- The party split from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, citing the inability to achieve its pro-monarchy goals within the existing structure.
- Rooted in "Prabardhanism," the party promotes indigenous values and national unity over conventional left-wing or right-wing ideologies.
Kathmandu: Senior Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leader Dr. Dhawal Shumsher Rana has announced the formation of a new political party, Jaya Nepal Party, with the restoration of Nepal as a Hindu state and the reinstatement of a constitutional monarchy as its principal political agenda.
Speaking at a press conference in Kathmandu on Thursday, Rana said the party would be formally registered with the Election Commission on August 12. He announced that businessman and pro-monarchy campaigner Durga Prasai would serve as the party's Supreme Leader, while he himself would lead the organization as its chairman.
The announcement marks another significant development within Nepal's pro-monarchy political movement, which has witnessed increasing political realignments and calls for the restoration of the monarchy and Hindu state in recent years.
Restoration of Monarchy and Hindu State
Presenting the party's political vision, Rana said the Jaya Nepal Party has been established with the primary objective of restoring a Hindu state and a constitutional monarchy with a guardianship role. According to him, Nepal's existing political system has failed to provide long-term political stability, good governance, and economic prosperity since the monarchy was abolished in 2008.
He argued that although executive authority should continue to remain with democratically elected representatives, the monarchy should function as a non-partisan constitutional institution responsible for safeguarding national sovereignty, territorial integrity, constitutional continuity, and national unity.
"The government must be run by elected representatives, but the monarchy should remain above day-to-day politics and serve as the guardian of the nation," Rana said.
He maintained that Nepal's social diversity, comprising multiple ethnicities, languages, cultures, and religions, requires a national institution capable of representing all citizens beyond partisan interests. According to him, the monarchy could serve as such a unifying institution.
Split from the RPP
Explaining the reasons behind forming a new party, Rana said he and his supporters had long pursued the agenda of restoring the monarchy and Hindu state within the Rastriya Prajatantra Party. However, he claimed that those objectives could no longer be effectively achieved through the existing party structure.
"As our political goals could not be realized through the platform we had been working in, we decided to establish a new political force together with Durga Prasai," he said.
Although Rana did not elaborate on specific organizational disagreements within the RPP, his departure represents another challenge for Nepal's principal monarchist political party, which has experienced internal divisions over leadership and political strategy in recent years.
A Distinct Political Ideology
Rana said the new party would follow an ideological framework that he described as "Prabardhanism" (Promotionism).
According to him, the party would neither identify itself with conventional left-wing nor right-wing political ideologies. Instead, it would formulate policies rooted in Nepal's indigenous traditions, cultural heritage, civilizational values, religious identity, and national interests.
He said the party's vision is to build a sovereign, self-reliant, and economically prosperous Nepal while preserving the country's historical identity and cultural values.
Position on Secularism
Rana criticized Nepal's transition from the world's only officially recognized Hindu kingdom to a secular republic, arguing that the constitutional change weakened the country's historical and cultural identity.
He said restoring Nepal as a Hindu state would not undermine the rights of citizens belonging to other religions. Rather, he maintained that the proposed political system would continue to guarantee religious freedom and equal respect for all faiths, in accordance with democratic principles.
Referring to the international context, Rana argued that many countries continue to maintain official religious identities while protecting the rights of religious minorities. He added that Nepal's historical identity as a Hindu nation had distinguished it internationally and that restoring that identity could strengthen religious tourism and contribute to economic growth.
Political Organization and Internal Democracy
Rana also outlined the proposed organizational structure of the Jaya Nepal Party, pledging that it would function as a democratic, transparent, youth-oriented, and women-friendly political organization.
He said leadership selection, policy formulation, and organizational decision-making would be conducted through democratic procedures based primarily on majority rule while encouraging consensus whenever possible.
According to Rana, the party aims to provide greater opportunities for youth participation and women's leadership while promoting internal accountability and transparency.
Emerging Political Realignment
The launch of the Jaya Nepal Party comes amid continued debate over Nepal's political future and growing activity among groups advocating the restoration of the monarchy and Hindu state. The announcement is expected to reshape the country's monarchist political landscape by bringing together leaders and activists who believe the current republican system has failed to deliver political stability, effective governance, and sustained economic progress.
Whether the new party can consolidate support among pro-monarchy voters or emerge as a significant political force remains to be seen. Nepal's major political parties had not issued official responses to the announcement by the time of publication.
