Balendra Shah set to become Nepal PM after massive win to RSP, KP Oli loses home turf | Top points

Former Prime Minister and Nepali Communist Party (NCP) coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal has won the Rukum East seat

Rapper-turned politician Balendra Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party was poised for a landslide victory in Nepal with two-thirds majority in first general elections since the Gen-Z protest last September.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) prime ministerial candidate and former Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah while casting his vote in the Nepal general elections, in Kathmandu. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma) (PTI)

Former prime minister KP Sharma Oli, against whom the widespread protests centred, lost his home turf, Jhapa-5, with a wide margin against the rapper-turned politician.

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Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was leading in 108 seats, far ahead of its rivals Nepali Congress, which was at 13 seats and the CPN-UML at 14, according to the data by The Kathmandu Post

Top points

• Balen leading in Oli's turf: Balendra Shah, who was the Mayor of Kathmandu till recently, was leading in Jhapa-5 constituency against four-time prime minister and CPN-UML chair K P Sharma Oli in the latter's stronghold. Shah, popularly known as Balen, received 15,169 votes, while Oli got just 3,344 votes.
• RSP win from Kathmandu-1: Ranju Darshana of the RSP won from Kathmandu-1 with 15,455 votes, while Yogesh Gauchan Thakali of the NC won from Mustang with 3,307 votes.
• Pushpa Dahal win from Rukum East: Former Prime Minister and Nepali Communist Party (NCP) coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal has won the Rukum East seat, marking his fifth consecutive term.
• Raju Nath Pandey wins from Kathmandu-3: Raju Nath Pandey of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has been elected to the House of Representatives from Kathmandu-3, defeating his closest rival Kulman Ghising of the Ujyalo Nepal Party by a margin of 7,586 votes.
• Balen close to becoming PM: Popularly known as 'Balen', the 35-year-old engineer is expected to be the next prime minister of Nepal. Some of Shah's nationwide appeal is driven by the work he has done as the mayor of Kathmandu, where he focused on improving the urban infrastructure
• Shah’s youth connect behind popularity: Unlike many leaders from Nepal’s older political establishment, Shah has largely kept his distance from the mainstream media. Instead, he connects directly with young Nepalis through an active presence on social media.
• RSP manifesto vows jobs: In its manifesto, Shah's RSP has vowed to create 1.2 million jobs and reduce forced migration, in an effort to tap into frustration over unemployment and low wages.
• 1st elections since GenZ protest: Intensified Gen Z protests on September 8 and 9 forced Prime Minister Oli to step down despite his coalition’s near two-thirds majority. Following his ouster, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12.
• Polls for 275 seats: A total of 275 seats in Nepal’s House of Representatives are being filled. Of these, 165 members are elected directly from constituencies under the FPTP system, while the remaining 110 seats are allocated through proportional representation based on party vote share.