India has sent ‘formal’ invite to Nepal PM Balendra Shah: MEA

India has ‘formally’ invited Nepal’s new Prime Minister Balendra Shah to visit New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday (July 28, 2026).

This official confirmation comes days after sections of the Nepali media reported that Mr. Shah’s advisor Kumar Ben visited New Delhi in early July and discussed the Nepali PM’s visit with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated the newly elected PM of Nepal on social media soon after Mr. Shah swept the polls in March. In his message, Mr. Modi had said, “Your appointment reflects the trust reposed in your leadership by the people of Nepal. I look forward to working closely with you to take India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights for the mutual benefit of our two peoples.”

“We have invited Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah formally,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, in response to a question from The Hindu on Tuesday (July 28, 2026). Officials said that Mr. Modi’s remark was the beginning of the process and the formal invitation was subsequently sent to Mr. Shah through proper diplomatic channels.

Evolving relationship

Following the victory of Mr. Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party, there were reports that Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was expected to visit Kathmandu in May but the visit did not take place as Mr. Shah had declined to engage with visiting high level foreign bureaucrats, insisting that he would meet his political counterparts in other countries.

The first high-profile visit was by Nepal’s Foreign Minister Sisir Khanal on June 6 and 7. Mr. Khanal had been scheduled to attend the Big Cat Alliance meeting planned to be held in Delhi on the sidelines of the India-Africa Forum Summit. After that meeting was postponed due to an Ebola virus outbreak in Africa, however, Mr. Khanal stayed for a bilateral visit. India also hosted Rabi Lamichhane, chairman of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, in the first week of June.

Reports from Kathmandu had earlier suggested that Mr. Shah had taken a vow not to visit foreign destinations after coming to power, saying his focus would be limited to domestic priorities in the initial phase of his government’s tenure.

woAt the same time, however, he raised the Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura territorial dispute with India in a statement in the Nepali parliament, saying that Nepal is in talks with the United Kingdom regarding the historical documents necessary to research the dispute. He also sought talks with China on that issue.