Balendra Shah’s RSP heads for Landslide victory in Nepal elections

Kathmandu, March 7: Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), was on Saturday heading towards a sweeping victory in Nepal’s general elections, marking a dramatic shift in the country’s political landscape and weakening the dominance of long-established political parties.

According to the Election Commission, the RSP has already won 39 of the 50 seats declared so far and is leading in around 80 more constituencies as vote counting continues across the country. The party has also secured a clean sweep in all 10 constituencies of Kathmandu district, underlining the scale of its surge in urban centres.

The elections are the first since the massive Gen Z protests last year that led to the fall of the coalition government led by former prime minister K P Sharma Oli. The protests had demanded sweeping reforms, including an end to corruption, improved governance, and generational change in political leadership.

The RSP, founded in 2022 by media personality and former home minister Ravi Lamichhane, had projected Balendra Shah—popularly known as “Balen”—as its prime ministerial candidate. Shah, a 35-year-old engineer and former mayor of Kathmandu, emerged as a powerful symbol of youth-led political change during the campaign.

During rallies, Shah presented himself as the “son of Madhesh,” with the party running the slogan “Ab ki bar Balendra Sarkar” (This time there will be Balendra’s government). The campaign was launched from Janakpur in Madhesh province, where the party is now also performing strongly.

Of the 32 seats across the eight districts of Madhesh province, the RSP has won seven and is leading in 23 others, placing it on track for a dominant performance in the region.

The party has also made significant gains in the Kathmandu Valley, winning all 10 seats in Kathmandu district along with two in Bhaktapur and one in Lalitpur. It is currently leading in the remaining two seats in the Valley as well.

On the final day of campaigning, Shah led a massive roadshow across all 15 constituencies of Kathmandu Valley, which analysts believe further strengthened the party’s appeal among young voters and urban middle-class groups.

Meanwhile, traditional parties are trailing behind. The Nepali Congress has secured victory in six seats and is leading in 12 others. The Nepali Communist Party has won two seats and is leading in six. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) led by ousted prime minister K P Sharma Oli has also won two seats and is leading in eight constituencies.

Other smaller parties, including the Shram Sanskriti Party and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, are leading in four seats each, while one seat has been won by an independent candidate.

Counting is underway in 162 of the 165 constituencies that are decided through direct voting.

RSP chairman Ravi Lamichhane secured a decisive victory from the Chitwan-2 constituency, winning his third consecutive term. He received 54,402 votes, defeating Nepali Congress candidate Mina Kumari Kharel, who secured 14,564 votes.

Balendra Shah himself won convincingly from the Jhapa-5 constituency, defeating four-time prime minister K P Sharma Oli in what had long been considered Oli’s stronghold. Shah secured 52,069 votes compared to Oli’s 14,031 votes.

With such a commanding performance, Shah is widely expected to become Nepal’s next prime minister, reflecting a growing public sentiment against the traditional political establishment. Nepal has witnessed significant political instability in recent years, with 14 governments formed in the past 18 years.

In other results, former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” of the Nepali Communist Party won from Rukum Purba district with 10,240 votes, defeating CPN-UML candidate Lilamani Gautam, who secured 3,462 votes.

The RSP is also leading in the proportional representation system, having secured 126,503 votes so far. The Nepali Congress has received 38,343 votes, followed by CPN (UML) with 28,721 votes, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party with 10,962 votes, the Nepali Communist Party with 10,794 votes, and the Shrama Shakti Party with 6,474 votes.

Under Nepal’s electoral system, the 275-member House of Representatives is formed through a mixed model: 165 members are elected through direct voting while the remaining 110 seats are allocated through proportional representation based on the total votes received by political parties.

A total of around 18.9 million voters were eligible to vote in the elections, with nearly 60 per cent turnout recorded on polling day. Over 3,400 candidates contested for 165 direct seats, while 3,135 candidates competed for the proportional representation seats.

The elections are also being closely monitored by India, which has expressed hope for political stability in Nepal. India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal recently stated that New Delhi looks forward to working with the new government to strengthen the long-standing ties between the two countries.

“India has consistently supported peace, progress and stability in Nepal,” he said, adding that logistical assistance was provided to Nepal for the conduct of the elections.

PTI