RSP set for landslide victory, Balendra Shah likely next PM
Kathmandu: Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was on Friday heading towards a sweeping victory in Nepal’s first general elections since the violent Gen Z protests, shattering the dominance of established political parties in the politically fragile nation.
According to the Election Commission’s data available from 144 of the total 165 constituencies, the RSP has won three seats and is ahead in 104 others, local media reported.
Balendra Shah, who was the Mayor of Kathmandu till recently, is 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 6,551 votes, while Oli got just 1,428 votes.
Popularly known as ‘Balen’, the 35-year-old engineer is expected to be the next prime minister of Nepal, reflecting a public mood of rejection of established parties. Nepal has had 14 governments in the last 18 years. The election was closely watched by India, which hopes for a stable government in the politically fragile Himalayan nation to take forward the developmental partnership between the two sides. “We look forward to working with the new Government of Nepal to further build on the robust multifaceted ties between our two countries and peoples for mutual benefit,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in Delhi on Thursday.
He said India has “consistently supported peace, progress and stability in Nepal and in keeping with our commitment, provided logistical supplies as per request from Government of Nepal for these elections”. The Nepali Congress has won two seats and is leading in 13 others, while the CPN-UML is leading in 10 constituencies. The Nepali Communist Party has won one and is leading in six constituencies. The Shram Sanskriti Party is leading in six constituencies. Out of a total of 275 members of the Parliament, 165 will be elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 will be elected through a proportionate method.
Balen was a popular choice to lead the interim government after Gen Z youths toppled the Oli-led coalition government in September last year, following two days of nationwide violent protests against corruption and a ban on social media.
But Balen declined to lead the interim administration, saying he would rather head the government by contesting the parliamentary election for a full term.
In January, he joined the RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, and was soon declared the party’s prime ministerial candidate. The RSP received significant support during the campaign. Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa was the prime ministerial candidate of his party, whereas the CPN (UML) projected Oli as its PM face. Both Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) were part of the government toppled by the Gen Z last year.
