Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was heading toward a sweeping victory in Nepal’s first general election since the violent Gen Z protests, breaking the hold of established parties in the politically fragile nation.
Election Commission data from 161 of 165 constituencies showed the RSP had won four seats and was leading in 110 others. Shah, popularly known as “Balen,” was leading by more than 10,000 votes in Jhapa-5 against four-time prime minister and CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli in Oli’s stronghold. The 35-year-old engineer and former Kathmandu mayor is widely tipped to become Nepal’s next prime minister, reflecting voter rejection of traditional parties after Nepal saw 14 governments in the past 18 years.
India said it looks forward to working with the new Nepali government to strengthen bilateral ties. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has consistently supported peace, progress and stability in Nepal and supplied logistical help for the elections upon request.
Balen was a popular choice to lead an interim government after Gen Z youths toppled the Oli-led coalition in September, following two days of violent nationwide protests over corruption and a social media ban. He declined then, saying he preferred to seek a full term through parliamentary elections. In January he joined the RSP, led by Ravi Lamichhane, and was declared the party’s prime ministerial candidate.
Other parties had mixed results: the Shram Sanskriti Party led in six constituencies. RSP’s Ranju Darshana won Kathmandu-1 with 15,455 votes, while Nepali Congress’s Yogesh Gauchan Thakali won Mustang with 3,307 votes. Former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda won Rukum Purba with 10,240 votes, defeating Lilamani Gautam of CPN (UML), who received 3,462. The RSP was leading in all 10 Kathmandu constituencies.
Voter turnout was about 60 percent for the House of Representatives election. Counting began late Thursday night and was expected to finish soon, the Election Commission said.
The RSP, founded in 2022, campaigned strongly around Balen. Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) had been part of the government ousted by Gen Z protesters last year; Nepali Congress has named Gagan Thapa as its prime ministerial candidate and CPN (UML) has again backed Oli.
Nepal’s 18.9 million eligible voters were choosing 275 House members: 165 by first-past-the-post direct voting and 110 by proportional representation. About 3,400 candidates contested the 165 direct seats and 3,135 contested the 110 proportional seats.
The Gen Z protests on September 8–9 forced out Prime Minister Oli. After his removal, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as caretaker prime minister. Gen Z demanded anti-corruption measures, good governance, an end to nepotism and generational change in political leadership.
