Balendra Shah's RSP makes history, registers landmark victory in Nepal election

Public Lokpal
March 08, 2026

Kathmandu: Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah's RSP is all set to form the next government in Nepal, after securing a sweeping victory in the crucial general election, the results oif which were declared on Sunday, decimating the established parties in the politically-fragile Himalayan country.

Popularly known as "Balen", the 35-year-old prime-ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) defeated four-time former prime minister K P Sharma Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party -- the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency.

Balen secured 68,348 votes against 74-year-old Oli's 18,734, the Election Commission (EC) said.

Balen is expected to be the next prime minister of Nepal, reflecting a public mood of rejection of established parties. The RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Ravi.

Lamichhane, has won 100 seats out of the 129 seats for which results were declared by 7 am, according to the EC.

Balen will be the first Madhesi prime minister of the Himalayan country as also the youngest to occupy the top post in Nepal's parliamentary history.

RSP's seats include a clean sweep of all 10 constituencies in Kathmandu district, even as it was leading in 25 seats across the country, the EC data showed.

Legacy parties failed to convince voters for whom the major issues included fighting corruption and an end to nepotism, apart from a generational change in the political leadership of the Himalayan country.

The Nepali Congress (NC) won 13 seats and was leading in three, the CPN-UML won just seven seats and was leading in three, the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) won six seats and was leading in one seat, the Shrama Shakti Party (SSP) was leading in three seats and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) won one seat, the EC data showed. Among the winners is one Independent candidate.

Nepal witnessed about 60 per cent voter turnout during the March 5 election to the House of Representatives. The counting of votes started late on Thursday night and as of Saturday night, counting was in progress in the remaining of the total 165 constituencies, the EC said.

PTI