Kathmandu, March 27 Barely 26 minutes of speeches across five political meetings during a two-week campaign across Nepal.
For the rapper-turned-politician, Balendra Shah 'Balen,' who is set to become Nepal's youngest elected prime minister on Friday, this was enough to garner 5.2 million votes under the proportional voting system for his party, the RSP.
The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which had projected the former Kathmandu mayor, popularly known as 'Balen,' as the prime ministerial candidate, secured a massive 182 seats out of a total of 275 seats in the March 5 House of Representatives (HoR), making it eligible to form a majority government in the Himalayan nation.
"Balen addressed around 4-5 public meetings, from Jhapa in the east to Sudur Paschim in the far west, attracting thousands of people. But, if we look at the duration, he spoke for just 4 or 5 minutes at each meeting," said Saraswotee Karmacharya, a journalist associated with Nepal Samacharapatra.
Videos available on the party's social media platforms, as well as reports and accounts from party workers in electronic and print media, show that Balen's speeches were informal.
It was more like he was casually conversing with people. "Have you had your tea?" "What kind of vegetables did you have today?" "Did you eat locally grown vegetables or imported ones from across the border?"
"In Janakpur, he spoke in Maithali, his mother tongue, and while touring Sudur Paschim, he posted a status on social media in Doteli, saying 'Sudur ab door naahi, Jhikke, Jhikke Maya Tamlai,' meaning, 'The far west is no longer far away, many many love to you'," said Birendra Kumar Jha, a lecturer and resident of Janakpurdham, who keenly listened to his speeches.
In other places, Balen spoke in Nepali, the national language.
Party workers said Balen didn't even ask for votes during the campaign. "In one of his speeches, he said, 'I am here not to seek votes for us, but I am here to ask for work to be done. Even if our party doesn't win, we will work for the people'," said journalist Karmacharya.
Addressing an election campaign in Janakpur, he said, "Don't vote for me just because I am a Madhesi, but vote for me because I am a good candidate."
Commenting on Balen's significantly different campaign style, Jha said his speeches were "short, sweet, to the point, and impressive."
"Unlike other candidates, Balen didn't criticize any political party or candidate, nor did he make big promises. He touched the hearts of ordinary people, and also talked about local problems," Jha added.
In one of his popular speeches in the Dhangadhi assembly constituency in western Nepal, Balen said, "We don't need to turn our country into Switzerland. Here we have the Badhimalika and Khaptad National Park, which are more beautiful than Switzerland."
Balen, with his signature dark goggles and black blazer, always carried a small metal bell, the RSP symbol, to his political rallies. His short speeches were always preceded by the ringing of that bell, which, his party workers said, was a warning to the opposition.