Kathmandu [Nepal], March 8 (ANI): Former Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli, on Saturday extended his wishes to Balen Shah on securing victory in the latest parliamentary elections.
In a post on X, Oli congratulated Shah and wished him a successful term.
“Balen Babu, Congratulations to you for the victory! May your five-year tenure be smooth and successful–heartfelt best wishes!” he said.
बालेन बाबु,
बिजयको लागि तपाईंलाई बधाई !
तपाईंको पॉच वर्षे कार्यकाल निर्विघ्न सफल रहोस्- हार्दिक शुभकामना ! pic.twitter.com/ta3qhzYiBj
— K P Sharma Oli (@kpsharmaoli) March 7, 2026
Former rapper and Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) has won the parliamentary election from Jhapa-5, defeating his archrival, former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the Election Commission announced.
With this, Balen has confirmed his prime ministership as he moves to the lower house of parliament.
As per the Election Commission, Balen secured 68,348 votes while former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli trailed with 18,734 votes.
The senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is set to become the next Prime Minister as the party swept the election, securing a comfortable majority.
According to the Election Commission results, the RSP, formed about four years ago, has won 59 seats under the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) category and is on course to secure an outright majority. Party leaders have repeatedly reassured the public that there is no internal dispute over the premiership.
First-ranking vice-chairperson DP Aryal said the party’s top leaders, including Rabi Lamichhane and Balen Shah, were the reason voters supported the party, and the parliamentary leader and future Prime Minister will be Balen Shah.
The combined tally of direct and proportional seats exceeds the 138-seat majority threshold in the 275-member House of Representatives.
In 2022, a structural engineer with a signature pair of black rectangular sunglasses and a past in the underground rap scene did the unthinkable: Shah dismantled Nepal’s established political machinery to become Mayor of Kathmandu.
Running as an independent under the symbol of a walking stick, Balen secured 61,767 votes, outstripping veterans Sirjana Singh of Nepali Congress (38,341 votes) and CPN-UML candidate Keshav Sthapit (38,117 votes), himself a former mayor of the capital.
Now, just four years later, the 35-year-old is no longer only a local phenomenon; he is poised to become one of the youngest prime ministers in the nation’s history. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
