Ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane held high-level meetings in New Delhi on Tuesday and visited the headquarters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where he had received a rousing welcome from leaders of India’s ruling party.

Emerged as the strongest party leader from the March 5 parliamentary elections, Lamichhane is on maiden visit to India from Monday and is expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Tuesday was a busy day for Lamichhane in New Delhi. In the morning, he held talks with BJP chief Nitin Nabin at party headquarters.

Later in the day, he held talks with Indian Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and discussed a wide range of issues related to bilateral relations.

“It was wonderful to meet with India’s External Affairs Minister, @DrSJaishankar, in New Delhi today,” Lamichhane wrote on X, adding, “we held a constructive dialogue on strengthening Nepal–India relations, focusing on our development partnership, and multifaceted engagements.”

“A pleasure to meet Nepal's Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairperson Rabi Lamichhane and his delegation today in Delhi. Our discussions focused on the Nepal, India development partnership and people-to-people ties,” Jaishankar wrote on social media.

Home Minister Shah congratulated Lamichhane on RSP's victory in the elections and conveyed India's best wishes for the success of the new government. Both sides expressed their firm resolve to work together for enhancing the special ties between India and Nepal, said Shah's office.

According to the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi they exchanged views on further enhancing cross-border connectivity, curbing transborder criminal activities and strengthening control on disaster management.

After the meeting between Lamichhane and Jaishankar, the embassy said that the discussion “focussed on the Nepal-India development partnership and people-to-people ties, which remain vital for shared growth and prosperity,” said the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi.

In the morning, Lamichhane was welcomed by the BJP chief Nabin and other leaders with a grand ceremony. Welcoming the delegation, Nabin highlighted the close and historical ties between India and Nepal, rooted in shared civilisational heritage, cultural bonds and strong people-to-people relations.

He said that such interactions help strengthen democratic dialogue and deepen party-to-party engagement between BJP and RSP, said the BJP in a statement.

“Nabin shared insights into the BJP’s journey, ideology, organisational structure and its people-centric approach to political engagement. He explained the party’s organisational model from the national level to the booth level and highlighted the importance of BJP karyakartas in maintaining a direct and continuous connect with people at the grassroots,” the BJP said.

During the interaction, the RSP delegation was keen to learn about BJP’s membership process, candidate selection system, and mechanisms for identifying and connecting with grassroots workers, the party statement said, adding, “Shri Nabin responded to their queries and explained how BJP’s organisational strength is built through continuous public outreach, booth-level engagement and participation of ordinary citizens in the democratic process.”

Both leaders also discussed the growing role and potential of Gen Z in politics, particularly in shaping democratic participation, public discourse and future leadership, said the BJP, in a statement.

The meeting was followed by a lunch interaction attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and leaders Manoj Tiwari, Praveen Khandelwal, Sushri Bansuri Swaraj, Harsh Malhotra and Ramvir Singh Bidhuri.

On the other hand, the RSP in a statement said the primary objective of the high-level meeting was to further deepen and strengthen the age-old historical, cultural, and people-to-people ties between the two neighboring nations in line with contemporary realities, while broadening dialogue on democratic values, principles, and practices.

“In addition, the meeting served as a platform for exchanging strategic experiences on organisational strengthening, grassroots public outreach, development-oriented good governance, and the leadership role of the younger generation in contemporary politics. It is believed that these exchanges will elevate mutual understanding between the two parties to a new level, while also contributing to the organizational consolidation and democratic maturity of the Rastriya Swatantra Party.”

“It was an insightful experience to engage with the BJP leadership, including General Secretary Arun Singh Ji, Foreign Department Head Vijay Chauthaiwale and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta under the 'Know BJP' initiative,” said Lamichhane wrote on X, adding, “This exchange of perspectives on party-to-party relationships and fostering the role of new-generation leadership marks a significant step forward. We look forward to building upon this foundation to further deepen ties between Nepal and India.”