New Party Dominates Nepal Polls as Balen Shah Defeats Former PM Oli

A newly formed political party led by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah has achieved a historic victory in Nepal’s general elections, delivering a major setback to the country’s long-established political parties. According to results announced by the Election Commission of Nepal, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), founded in 2022 by Rabi Lamichhane, has so far won 117 out of the 165 parliamentary seats and is leading in eight additional constituencies. The commission has already declared results for 152 of the 165 seats. The Nepali Congress (NC) currently stands in second place with 17 seats. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), led by former prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli, has managed to secure only seven seats and is leading in three others. Other parties have also registered limited success in the elections. The Nepal Communist Party has won seven seats, while the Shram Sanskriti Party has secured two seats and is leading in two more constituencies. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party has won one seat, and one independent candidate has also emerged victorious. Data released by the Election Commission shows that the RSP achieved a sweeping victory across the 15 constituencies in the three districts of the Kathmandu Valley, strengthening its dominant performance in the polls. Balendra Shah, widely known as “Balen” and the RSP’s candidate for prime minister, secured a decisive victory in the Jhapa-5 constituency. He defeated CPN-UML chairman and four-time prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli by nearly 50,000 votes. According to official figures, Shah received 68,348 votes, while Oli secured 18,734 votes. With the RSP emerging as the dominant force in the election, Shah is widely expected to become Nepal’s next prime minister. His victory is being seen as a sign of growing public dissatisfaction with traditional political parties. If appointed, Shah would become the first Madheshi prime minister of the Himalayan nation and the youngest leader to hold the country’s highest parliamentary office in Nepal’s history.