"Balen Shah and Rabi Lamichhane have already registered a new joint party that will contest the 2026 election under a fresh symbol."

Available reporting indicates a political alliance or partnership between Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chair Rabi Lamichhane, including understandings about campaign coordination and prime ministerial projection. However, credible sources consistently describe this as an alliance built around the existing RSP structure, not as a newly registered joint party with a separate symbol.

The Election Commission’s public lists and media coverage have not recorded the registration of a new national party jointly owned by Shah and Lamichhane. Until such a party is formally registered and notified, claims that it already exists and will use a new symbol are false.