Kathmandu, March 7 RSP's Balendra Shah defeated four-time Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli by a significant margin and is set to form the next government in Nepal, effectively ending the dominance of traditional political parties after the violent Gen Z protests last year demanding generational change and a corruption-free regime.
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, the candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), defeated Oli, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) -- CPN-UML -- by a substantial margin of approximately 50,000 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency.
Shah, 35, secured 68,348 votes against Oli's 18,734, according to the Election Commission.
The RSP, formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, has won 70 out of the 87 seats for which results have been declared, according to the Election Commission.
The RSP's victories include a clean sweep in all 10 constituencies of the Kathmandu district, even as it leads in 52 constituencies across the country.
Traditional parties struggled to connect with voters concerned about corruption and nepotism, along with a generational change in the Himalayan nation's political leadership.
The Nepali Congress (NC) won 10 seats and is leading in 9; the CPN-(UML) won only 3 seats and is leading in 8; the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) won 2 seats and is leading in 5; the Shrama Shakti Party (SSP) is leading in 3 seats, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) won 1 seat.
Nepal witnessed approximately 60 per cent voter turnout during the March 5 elections to the House of Representatives. Counting of votes began late Thursday night, and as of 5 pm Saturday, counting was underway in 162 constituencies, according to the Election Commission.
The election was closely watched by India, which hopes for a stable government in the politically fragile Himalayan nation to continue the developmental partnership between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people and government of Nepal on Saturday for the successful conduct of the elections.
"I am delighted to see my Nepali sisters and brothers exercising their democratic rights so vibrantly. This historic milestone is a proud moment for Nepal's democratic journey,” Modi said in a post on X.
Modi also stated that India remains committed to working closely with the people of Nepal and its new government to achieve new heights of shared peace, progress, and prosperity.
“Congratulations, Balen babu,” Oli wrote in his social media post.
Oli, who was also projected as the PM candidate of the CPN-UML, wished Balen a full five-year term for his government in the Himalayan nation, which has seen 14 governments in the last 18 years.
“I wish your five-year term is successful and fruitful,” Oli said as he attached a 2022 photo showing him gifting a tabla to Balen after the rapper-turned-politician won the Kathmandu mayor's election as an independent.
The RSP, which presented Balendra Shah 'Balen' as its prime ministerial candidate and had organized its first election campaign in Janakpur in Madhesh, is poised for a clean sweep of the province.
'Balen', as he is popularly known, presented himself as the "son of Madhesh" during the campaign, with the party launching the campaign with the tagline "Ab ki bar Balendra Sarkar" (This time there will be Balendra’s government).
Out of the total 32 seats in eight districts of the Madhesh province, the RSP has won eight and is leading in 22 other constituencies, according to the Election Commission.
The party is also achieving a clean sweep in the Kathmandu Valley, winning all 10 seats of the Kathmandu district and two in Bhaktapur and one in Lalitpur district.
The party is also leading in the remaining two seats of the Kathmandu Valley with a significant margin, possibly due to a massive roadshow led by Balen in all 15 constituencies on the last day of the election campaign.
The 35-year-old engineer-turned-rapper-turned-politician is expected to be the next prime minister of Nepal, reflecting a public mood of rejection of established parties. Nepal has had 14 governments in the last 18 years.
RSP Chairman Lamichhane won with a significant margin from Chitwan-2 constituency, marking his third consecutive victory with 54,402 votes against his nearest rival NC's Mina Kumari Kharel, who received 14,564 votes.
According to the Election Commission, former Prime Minister and NCP leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda won from Rukum Purba district by securing 10,240 votes against his rival Lilamani Gautam of CPN-(UML), who got 3,462 votes.
RPP's Gyanendra Shahi won from the Jumla constituency of Karnali province by defeating his closest rival Naresh Bhandari of the NCP and became the only candidate of the pro-monarchist RPP to have secured a seat in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, the RSP is also leading in the proportional voting system, with the party securing 474,266 votes, followed by Nepali Congress with 160,384. The CPN (UML) has received 127,841, Nepali Communist Party 65,363, the RPP 34,154, and Shrama Shakti Party 17,437 votes.
Out of a total of 275 members of Parliament, 165 are being elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 are being elected through a proportional system.
Around 3,400 candidates were vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates for 110 seats through a proportional system.
The Gen Z youth, through their two-day intensified protests on September 8 and 9 last year, ousted Prime Minister Oli of the CPN-(UML), who was heading a coalition government with the backing of Nepali Congress that enjoyed nearly two-thirds majority support.
Though Balen was a popular choice to lead the interim government after Oli's ouster, he declined to lead the interim administration, saying he would prefer to contest the parliamentary election for a full term.
In January, he joined the RSP and was soon declared the party's prime ministerial candidate.
The major issues raised by Gen Z before and during the election campaign were anti-corruption, good governance, an end to nepotism, generational change in political leadership, etc.