Two Nepal Interim Government Ministers Resign to Contest March General Election

Nepal's interim government ministers Bablu Gupta, Youth and Sports Minister, and Jagdish Kharel, Communication Minister, resigned in January 2026 to contest the general election scheduled for March 5. Gupta, representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), filed his candidacy from Janakpur, while Kharel, formerly with the Nepali Congress, plans to contest from Lalitpur-2. Both ministers cited the need to engage actively in party politics and uphold the interim government's non-political status. The Election Commission set January 20 as the nomination deadline.