Kathmandu, March 7 – Balendra Shah, the rapper-turned-politician, and his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) are poised to form the next government in Nepal after securing a decisive victory in the recent general elections, effectively ending the political dominance of established parties in the fragile nation.
Popularly known as Balen, the 35-year-old RSP candidate for prime minister defeated four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli, 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, 35, garnered 68,348 votes against Oli's 18,734, according to the Election Commission.
He is expected to become Nepal's next prime minister, reflecting the public's desire for a change in leadership. The RSP, formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, has won 77 out of the 97 seats declared, according to the Election Commission.
The RSP's victories include a complete sweep across all 10 constituencies in the Kathmandu district, even as it leads in 48 constituencies nationwide.
Traditional parties failed to address the key issues of corruption and nepotism, along with generational change in political leadership, which resonated with voters.
The Nepali Congress (NC) won 11 seats and led in seven; the CPN-(UML) won five seats and led in seven; the CPN (Maoist) won two seats and led in five; the Shrama Shakti Party (SSP) led in three seats, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) won one seat.
Approximately 60% of the eligible voters participated in the March 5 elections for the House of Representatives. Counting began late Thursday and, as of 11 pm Saturday, the remaining 165 constituencies were still being counted.
India is closely monitoring the elections, hoping for a stable government in the politically fragile Himalayan nation to facilitate continued developmental cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nepal on Saturday, praising the successful conduct of the elections.
"It is heartening to see the people of Nepal exercising their democratic rights," Modi stated on X. "This historic milestone is a proud moment for Nepal's democratic journey."
Modi also expressed India's commitment to working closely with the people and government of Nepal to achieve shared peace, progress, and prosperity.
Oli, also a leading candidate for the CPN-UML, congratulated Balen on his victory, wishing him a successful and trouble-free five-year term.
Balen, who won the Kathmandu mayor's election as an independent, had previously been a rapper. He was gifted a tabla by Oli as a gesture of goodwill.
The RSP, with Balendra Shah as its prime ministerial candidate, is poised to achieve a sweeping victory in the Madhesh province.
Balen, as he is known, campaigned on a platform of "Ab ki bar Balendra Sarkar" (This time, it will be Balendra's government).
The RSP has won eight out of the 32 seats in the Madhesh province and is leading in 22 other constituencies, according to the Election Commission.
The party has secured a complete victory in the Kathmandu Valley, winning all 10 seats in Kathmandu, as well as two seats in Bhaktapur and three in Lalitpur.
The party's success in the valley can be attributed to a large roadshow led by Balen in all 15 constituencies on the final day of the election campaign.
Lamichhane, the RSP chairman, won with a significant margin in Chitwan-2, securing his third consecutive victory with 54,402 votes against NC's Mina Kumari Kharel, who received 14,564 votes.
Former prime minister and NCP leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda won from Rukum Purba district, securing 10,240 votes against CPN-(UML)'s Lilamani Gautam, who got 3,462 votes.
RPP's Gyanendra Shahi won from the Jumla constituency of Karnali province by defeating NCP's Naresh Bhandari and became the only candidate of the pro-monarchist RPP to secure a seat in the House of Representatives.
The elections also saw 10 women candidates win, nine of them from the RSP while one from NC.
Meanwhile, the RSP is also leading in proportional voting with the party bagging 625,525 votes followed by Nepali Congress with 208,833. The CPN (UML) has received 167,189, Nepali Communist Party 82,545, the RPP 44,454, and Shrama Shakti Party 21,992 votes till now.
Out of a total of 275 members of the Parliament, 165 are being elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 through a proportionate method.
Around 3,400 candidates were vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates for 110 seats through proportionate voting.
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.
Although 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.
Sunil Babu Pant, former MP and a political analyst, said, “The victory of Rastriya Swatantra Party in the March 5 elections and the expectation that Balen Shah could emerge as Nepal's next Prime Minister reflects 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 said.
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.”
