MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Friday that the people of Nepal had voted against corruption and poor governance.

“I always feel that the will of the people is important and as a close and friendly neighbour, we (India) should respect the will of the people and if that will is for a change, then so be it,” Shringla, a former foreign secretary of India and currently a Rajya Sabha member, told The Telegraph.

Shringla, who was speaking in his personal capacity, said the results suggested that “it is a vote against corruption, against poor governance” and a vote for an aspiration for positive change in the country.

“We should do everything we can to support that aspiration and the people of Nepal in their bid for good governance and corruption-free government that delivers,” said Shringla.

The newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by 35-year-old former rapper Balendra Shah, is heading for a landslide victory. He resigned as the mayor of Kathmandu to contest the national election. The RSP’s election symbol was ghanti (bell).

The 1950 India-Nepal friendship treaty allows for the free movement of citizens between the two countries. The treaty is debated in Darjeeling politics as many in the region believe that the free movement dilutes the identity of the Nepali-speaking
Indian citizens.

“As someone who is a Nepali-speaking citizen of India and lives in a place that borders Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, it is important that we are there to cooperate with the new government,” said Shringla.