Kathmandu, March 8 – Balendra Shah, a rapper turned politician, and his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) are set to form the next government in Nepal after securing a decisive victory in the general elections on Saturday, effectively ending the dominance of established parties in the politically fragile country.
Popularly known as "Balen," the 35-year-old RSP candidate for prime minister, defeated four-time former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), by a significant margin of approximately 50,000 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency.
Balen, aged 35, received 68,348 votes against Oli's 18,734, according to the Election Commission (EC).
Balen is expected to become Nepal's next prime minister, reflecting a public desire for change from established parties. He will be the first Madhesi prime minister of the Himalayan nation, and also the youngest to hold the top position in Nepal's parliamentary history.
The RSP, formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, won 91 out of the 117 seats declared, according to the EC.
The RSP’s victories include a clean sweep of all 10 constituencies in Kathmandu district, even though it led in 34 constituencies across the country, as indicated by the EC data.
Established parties failed to address the key concerns of voters, including fighting corruption and ending nepotism, alongside a generational shift in Nepal's political leadership.
The Nepali Congress (NC) won 13 seats and led in three, the CPN-UML won seven seats and led in three, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) won four seats and led in three, the Shrama Shakti Party (SSP) led in three seats, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) won one seat, according to the EC data. One independent candidate also won.
Approximately 60 per cent of the eligible voters participated in the March 5 election to the House of Representatives. Counting began late on Thursday night, and as of Saturday night, the remaining 165 constituencies were still being counted, the EC stated.
The election was closely watched by India, which hopes for a stable government in the politically vulnerable Himalayan nation to further the developmental partnership between the two countries.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people and government of Nepal on the successful conduct of the election.
"It is heartening to see my Nepali sisters and brothers exercise their democratic rights so vibrantly. This historic milestone is a proud moment in Nepal's democratic journey," Modi said in a post on X.
He also stated that India remains committed to working closely with the people of Nepal and its new government to achieve greater peace, progress, and prosperity.
Oli, who was also considered a potential prime minister for the CPN-UML, congratulated Balen on his victory and wished him a successful and trouble-free five-year tenure.
"Balen, congratulations on your victory. I wish you a successful and fruitful five-year term," Oli wrote in a social media post, attaching a 2022 photo of him gifting a tabla to Balen after the rapper-turned politician won the mayoral election in Kathmandu as an independent candidate.
The RSP, which nominated Balen as its prime ministerial candidate and had organized its first election campaign in Janakpur in Madhesh, is poised to secure a majority in the province.
"Balen," as he is popularly known, campaigned on the platform of being "the son of Madhesh," with the party’s campaign slogan being "Ab ki bar Balendra sarkar" (This time, it will be Balendra's government).
Out of the total 32 seats in the eight districts of Madhesh province, the RSP has won eight and is leading in 22, according to the EC.
The party achieved a clean sweep in the Kathmandu valley, winning all 10 seats in Kathmandu district, two in Bhaktapur, and three in Lalitpur.
The RSP's clean sweep of all 15 seats in the valley could be attributed to the extensive roadshow led by Balen in all the constituencies on the last day of the election campaign.
RSP chairman Lamichhane won with a significant margin in the Chitwan-2 constituency, securing his third consecutive victory with 54,402 votes, compared to Mina Kumari Kharel of the Nepali Congress, who received 14,564 votes.
Former Prime Minister and NCP leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda won from Rukum Purba district by securing 10,240 votes against Lilamani Gautam of the CPN-(UML), who received 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 sole candidate of the pro-monarchist RPP to secure a seat in the House of Representatives.
The election also saw 10 female candidates win, nine of them from the RSP and one from the NC.
Meanwhile, the RSP was also leading in the proportional-voting system, with the party securing 1,028,797 votes, followed by the Nepali Congress with 3,42,934. The CPN-UML received 3,73,475 votes, the Nepali Communist Party 1,19,902 votes, the RPP 73,593 votes, the SSP 43,099 votes, and the Rastriya Parivartan Party 23,644 votes, and the Janata Samajwadi Party 13,692 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 the proportionate method.
Approximately 3,400 candidates were vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates were vying for 110 seats through the proportionate method.
The Gen Z, 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 the Nepali Congress that enjoyed nearly two-thirds majority support.
Although Balen was a popular choice to lead the interim government after Oli's ouster, he declined to lead the interim administration, stating that 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 the Gen Z before and during the election campaign included anti-corruption, good governance, an end to nepotism, and a generational shift in the political leadership.
Sunil Babu Pant, former MP and a political analyst, said, "The victory of the Rastriya Swatantra Party in the March 5 election and the expectation that Balen Shah could emerge as Nepal's next prime minister reflect the people's deep-rooted frustration with the old political order and their hope for a new direction."
"As Balen assumes the country's leadership, his first responsibility must be to demonstrate that corruption will not be tolerated under any circumstances," he added.
Balen will also face a complex geopolitical challenge, Pant said, adding, "He must prove that he is not a puppet of any external power, western or otherwise. Nepal's leadership must carefully balance relations with all global actors and pursue an independent foreign policy that prioritises the national interest."
