Balendra Shah, a structural engineer and former rapper who entered electoral politics just four years ago, is set to become Nepal’s next prime minister after his party delivered one of the most sweeping parliamentary victories in the country’s modern democratic history.
Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by party president Rabi Lamichhane, won 125 of 165 directly contested seats under the first-past-the-post system, with one heavyweight leader after another from Nepal’s traditional parties falling before the RSP wave. The party was also leading with over 48 per cent of the proportional representation vote, putting it on track for close to a two-thirds majority in the 275-member House of Representatives, a feat no single party has achieved since 1991.
Shah himself delivered the election’s most dramatic individual result, defeating former four-time Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli by 49,614 votes in Jhapa-5, Oli’s own longtime stronghold. Shah secured 68,348 votes, the largest tally recorded by any candidate in Nepal’s parliamentary history.
The election, held on March 5, was Nepal’s first since youth-led protests swept the country last September. Security forces opened fire on demonstrators who had initially gathered to protest a social media ban, killing 19 people on the first day. The anger that followed tapped into deep frustration over corruption and economic stagnation, and the resulting unrest left more than 70 people dead before Oli’s government collapsed.
Shah’s rapid ascent began in 2022 when he defeated candidates from major political parties to become the mayor of Kathmandu while running as an independent. Four years later, the 35-year-old stands on the brink of becoming one of Nepal’s youngest prime ministers. Before entering public office, he built a following through rap music that took direct aim at Nepal’s political elite, poverty, and unemployment.
The RSP, which only formed four years ago, “crushed Nepal’s old guard” according to the BBC. The Nepali Congress, long one of the country’s dominant parties, won just 18 directly elected seats, while Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) captured only eight.
Oli congratulated Shah in a post on X, wishing him a smooth and successful five-year term. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended congratulations, describing the conduct of the elections as a proud moment in Nepal’s democratic journey and reaffirming India’s commitment to working with the new government.
Analysts note that despite the commanding lower house majority, Shah will still need to engage the separately elected upper house, where the RSP holds no seats, to pass legislation. Critics have observed that Shah has so far shown little appetite for the kind of political deal-making that cross-chamber governance will require.
Voter turnout reached approximately 60 per cent, boosted by strong Gen Z participation, and election officials said voting was largely peaceful across the country.
Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who made history as Nepal’s first female head of government when she was appointed after the September uprising, has indicated she is ready to transfer power once the new mandate is formally established.
