Lingden was involved in RPP politics from the beginning of the party's establishment. He held several positions within the party, including General Secretary, before contesting for the position of president in 2021. On 5 December 2021, Lingden was elected Chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party by defeating the incumbent chairman,
Kamal Thapa at the party's
general convention. Lingden got 1,844 votes, while
Kamal Thapa got 1,617 votes. A total of 413 votes were invalidated. Stating that he would accept defeat, Thapa tweeted and congratulated Lingden on his victory. In the
2017 and
2022 elections, Lingden defeated former Home Minister
Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Sitaula was considered
Girija Prasad Koirala's right-hand person in bringing Maoists, UML, and other parties together, and his defeat was seen as a rebuke of the
Nepali Congress's handling of the aftermath of the peace process. After the
Rastriya Prajatantra Party's strong showing in the
2022 Nepalese general election, where the party won 14 seats, the RPP decided to join the current coalition government under Lingden's leadership. Lingden became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. == Electoral history ==