Vikram Khanal Defeats Billionaire Binod Chaudhary to Reach Nepal’s Parliament
Purushottam Subedi, KalimNews, Siddharthnagar /Rupandehi (Lumbini, Nepal) : In a significant development in Nepal’s ongoing parliamentary elections, Vikram Khanal (55), the candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has secured a decisive victory in the West Nawalparasi Constituency No. 1 election for the House of Representatives.
Khanal defeated his nearest rival, Binod Kumar Chaudhary, a prominent leader of the Nepali Congress and one of Nepal’s most influential industrialists, by a massive margin of 35,739 votes.
Out of a total of 82,107 votes cast, Khanal received 45,241 votes, while Chaudhary secured only 9,502 votes. The result has drawn widespread attention across the country, as Chaudhary is widely known as Nepal’s only billionaire businessman and a major political heavyweight.
Before joining the RSP, Vikram Khanal had a long political career within the Nepali Congress. He was considered a familiar and experienced political figure in the region and had served as the General Secretary of the party’s Lumbini Province committee.
Khanal began his political journey in 2040 B.S. through student politics with the Nepal Students’ Union, the student wing of the Nepali Congress. His early involvement started from the union unit committee at Daunne Devi Secondary School in Bardaghat.
Over the years, he held several important positions within the party, including, General Convention Representative, Member of the Central Policy Committee and General Secretary of the Lumbini Provincial Committee.
He had also previously served as a member of the Constituent Assembly, contributing to Nepal’s constitution-making process.
After recently leaving the Nepali Congress, Khanal contested the election as a candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and ultimately secured a remarkable victory.
Reacting to his win, Khanal said that the result represents not just his personal success but the collective aspirations of the people of Nawalparasi.
He stated, “The people are rising above old powers and traditional politics and are expecting good governance and development, and I am committed to fulfilling that expectation.”
According to him, the voters are increasingly moving beyond traditional political forces and are seeking good governance, transparency, and development-oriented leadership.
Vikram Khanal was born in 2027 B.S. in Ward No. 10 of Bardaghat Municipality in Nawalparasi. He completed his education up to the postgraduate level.
His interest in politics developed during his student years, and he gradually built a reputation as an active organizer and political leader in the region.
Khanal’s overwhelming victory over Binod Chaudhary, widely regarded as a powerful political and economic figure, has created considerable discussion in Nepal’s national political circles.
Political observers believe that voters in Nawalparasi this time chose new political alternatives and issue-based politics over traditional leadership.
The result is widely being described as a major political upset, demonstrating a clear shift in voter sentiment. Analysts suggest that defeating a financially and politically influential leader like Chaudhary by such a large margin sends a strong message to established political parties.
Many experts also point out that Khanal’s strong grassroots organizational network combined with the growing public support for the Rastriya Swatantra Party played a crucial role in this outcome.
The election result in Nawalparasi is increasingly being viewed as a symbol of a broader political transformation in Nepal.
Defeating a powerful candidate like Binod Chaudhary by more than 35,000 votes is seen by many analysts as the beginning of a new political phase in the region.
The outcome clearly indicates that a new generation of voters and emerging political parties are now posing a serious challenge to Nepal’s traditional political forces.
For many observers, the message from the voters is clear: performance, accountability, and new leadership are becoming decisive factors in the country’s democratic process.