Rapper-turned-politician Balendra “Balen” Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is set to form Nepal’s next government after a sweeping victory in the general election, announced on Sunday, that decimated established parties in the politically fragile Himalayan nation.
Balen, 35, defeated four-time former prime minister K P Sharma Oli, chair of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), in Jhapa-5 by about 50,000 votes. The Election Commission (EC) reported Balen received 68,348 votes to Oli’s 18,734. Balen is likely to become Nepal’s next prime minister, the youngest and the first from the Madhesi community to hold the post.
The RSP, formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, won 100 of the 129 seats for which results were declared by 7 am, per EC data. The party achieved a clean sweep of all 10 constituencies in Kathmandu district and won all 15 seats across the Kathmandu Valley (10 in Kathmandu, two in Bhaktapur, three in Lalitpur). The RSP was also leading in 25 seats nationwide.
Legacy parties fared poorly amid voter demands for anti-corruption measures, an end to nepotism, and generational change. The Nepali Congress (NC) won 13 seats and led in three, the CPN-UML won seven and led in three, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) won six and led in one, the Shrama Shakti Party (SSP) led in three, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) won one seat, and one Independent also won. Voter turnout on March 5 was about 60 percent. Counting began late Thursday and continued across the remaining constituencies.
India closely watched the poll, hoping for stability to further bilateral development ties. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nepal’s people and government, calling the election a historic milestone and reaffirming India’s commitment to work closely with Nepal’s new government.
Oli, who had been positioned as CPN-UML’s prime-ministerial candidate, congratulated Balen and wished him a full five-year, trouble-free tenure, attaching a 2022 photo of him gifting a tabla to Balen after Balen’s earlier mayoral win in Kathmandu as an Independent.
The RSP projected Balen as its prime-ministerial candidate after organizing its first campaign in Janakpur in Madhesh. Balen campaigned as the “son of Madhesh” with the slogan “Ab ki bar Balendra sarkar” (This time there will be Balendra’s government). In Madhesh province, of 32 seats across eight districts, the RSP won eight and led in 22 constituencies.
RSP chairman Ravi Lamichhane won Chitwan-2 by a large margin, securing 54,402 votes against NC’s Mina Kumari Kharel’s 14,564, marking his third consecutive victory. Former prime minister and NCP leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda won Rukum Purba with 10,240 votes against CPN-UML’s Lilamani Gautam, who received 3,462 votes. RPP’s Gyanendra Shahi won Jumla in Karnali province, becoming the only pro-monarchist party MP.
Ten women won seats—nine from the RSP and one from the NC.
Under the proportional system, the RSP led with 1,148,725 votes, followed by the Nepali Congress with 379,964; CPN-UML with 304,842; Nepali Communist Party with 139,005; RPP with 83,525; and SSP with 46,261. Nepal’s House of Representatives has 275 members: 165 elected by direct vote and 110 through proportional representation. Approximately 3,400 candidates contested the 165 direct seats and 3,135 contested the 110 proportional seats.
Gen Z activism played a role in recent political shifts: two-day protests on September 8–9 last year helped oust Prime Minister Oli, who had been heading a coalition with the Nepali Congress. Though Balen was seen as a leading candidate for an interim government after Oli’s removal, he declined and chose instead to run for a full parliamentary term. He formally joined the RSP in January and was named the party’s prime-ministerial candidate.
Political analysts and youth activists campaigned on issues such as anti-corruption, good governance, ending nepotism, and changing the political generation. Former MP and analyst Sunil Babu Pant said the RSP’s victory reflects deep public frustration with the old political order and hopes for new direction. Pant urged that Balen must demonstrate intolerance for corruption and navigate complex geopolitical pressures by balancing relations with global actors to pursue an independent foreign policy prioritizing Nepal’s national interest.
