Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah and his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) are on course for a historic electoral triumph in Nepal, nearly six months after youth-led protests toppled the previous government.
As of Tuesday morning, the RSP has secured 125 of the 165 directly elected seats in the 275-member House of Representatives, according to the Election Commission.
One seat is yet to be declared, while the remaining 110 seats are distributed through proportional representation. Final results are expected later this week, dw.com reports.
Shah, a central figure of the so-called Gen Z protests, defeated four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli in his own constituency. The protests, triggered by a controversial social media ban last September, claimed at least 51 lives and ignited nationwide demonstrations against corruption and prolonged economic challenges.
Following the unrest, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki assumed the role of interim prime minister, becoming Nepal’s first female head of government.
The RSP, founded just four years ago, has swept aside the long-dominant Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), signaling a seismic shift in the nation’s political landscape.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Shah and RSP chairman Rabi Lamichhane on the party’s early success, highlighting the importance of continued cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
“I am confident that with our joint endeavors, India and Nepal relations will scale new heights in the years ahead,” Modi wrote on X.
The RSP’s anticipated victory represents a generational shift in Nepalese politics and underscores the influence of youth activism in shaping the nation’s future.
