Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) appeared set for a decisive victory on Saturday in Nepal’s first general election since last year’s large Gen Z protests, dealing a major blow to long-dominant parties in the politically fragile country.
With results from 161 of 165 constituencies reported by the Election Commission, the RSP has won 27 seats and claimed all 10 constituencies in Kathmandu. The Nepali Congress has taken five seats, the Nepali Communist Party two and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) one.
The RSP is leading in an additional 97 constituencies. The Nepali Congress, Nepali Communist Party and CPN (UML) were each leading in 10 seats, the Shram Sanskriti Party led in five, and other parties led in two, according to Election Commission figures available by 10 am.
Balendra Shah, popularly known as “Balen,” secured 39,284 votes in Jhapa-5, unseating four-time prime minister and CPN-UML chair K P Sharma Oli, who had 10,293 votes in that stronghold. The 35-year-old engineer and former mayor of Kathmandu is widely viewed as a likely next prime minister, reflecting voter frustration with established parties after Nepal saw 14 governments in 18 years.
India has been closely watching the vote, seeking a stable Nepali government to continue development cooperation. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi looked forward to working with Nepal’s new government and noted India had provided logistical supplies to support the elections at Kathmandu’s request.
Nepal’s House of Representatives has 275 members: 165 elected by direct vote and 110 by proportional representation. About 18.9 million voters were eligible; turnout was roughly 60 percent. Some 3,400 candidates contested the 165 direct seats, while 3,135 contested the 110 proportional seats.
The Gen Z protests on September 8–9 last year helped topple Prime Minister Oli’s coalition. Balen emerged as a favored figure among the youth and was offered the interim government leadership, which he declined, saying he preferred to seek a full term by contesting parliamentary elections.
He joined the RSP in January; the party, founded in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, quickly named him its prime ministerial candidate and the RSP gained substantial support during the campaign. The Nepali Congress fielded party president Gagan Thapa as its candidate, while CPN (UML) backed Oli. Both parties had been part of the government ousted by Gen Z.
The Election Commission also reported former Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda won in Rukum Purba with 10,240 votes, defeating CPN (UML) rival Lilamani Gautam who received 3,462 votes.
Following Oli’s removal, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as caretaker prime minister. The Gen Z movement has pushed major themes into the campaign: anti-corruption, better governance, an end to nepotism and a generational shift in political leadership.
