Nepal’s political scene is witnessing a major transformation as the rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah leads the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to a sweeping victory in the March 5 parliamentary elections. The relatively new party, founded in 2022, has rapidly dismantled decades-old political strongholds and defeated several heavyweight leaders across the country. Its rise signals a sharp break from Nepal’s traditional power structure and reflects a strong public appetite for political renewal.
According to the latest vote count, the RSP has secured 124 seats and is leading in one additional constituency, placing it within reach of a two-thirds majority in Parliament. In comparison, the Nepali Congress has managed to win 17 seats and is leading in one more, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML) has captured eight seats and is ahead in one constituency. Results have been declared for 161 of the 165 seats contested through direct voting, with the remaining outcomes expected shortly.
One of the most striking contests unfolded in the Jhapa-5 constituency, where RSP’s prime ministerial candidate Balendra Shah delivered a decisive defeat to veteran leader K. P. Sharma Oli. The four-time former prime minister, long associated with the region, was overwhelmed in a contest widely viewed as symbolic of the broader political shift underway. Shah, aged 35, secured 68,348 votes, while Oli trailed far behind with 18,734 votes in the eastern Koshi province seat. The result was widely described as a generational upset that highlighted the electorate’s preference for new leadership.
Among the three former prime ministers who entered the fray, only Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, retained his seat. The 71-year-old Maoist leader emerged victorious in Rukum East, a region historically aligned with the Maoist movement. Known for frequently shifting constituencies over the years, Prachanda had previously contested from multiple regions including Rolpa, Kathmandu, Siraha, Chitwan, and Gorkha. Before the election, he reshaped his political base by dissolving the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and forming a new platform, the Nepali Communist Party, through the merger of several smaller groups.
Other senior leaders were not as fortunate. Former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who served as co-coordinator of the new party structure, lost the Rautahat-1 constituency to an RSP candidate. Another former prime minister, Baburam Bhattarai, had initially planned to contest from Gorkha-2 but later withdrew from the race. The upheaval extended across party ranks, with Election Commission data indicating that at least eleven office-bearers of the CPN-UML were defeated by RSP nominees, alongside several senior figures from the Nepali Congress.
Political observers attribute the RSP’s sweeping gains to a strong anti-establishment wave, especially among younger voters disillusioned with corruption, entrenched patronage networks, and prolonged political instability. The elections were triggered after Oli resigned as prime minister in September last year, following two days of intense protests led by youth-driven Generation Z groups demanding accountability and opposing the government’s social media restrictions.
Campaign debates were dominated by themes of transparent governance, anti-corruption reforms, curbing nepotism, and ushering in generational leadership change. With the RSP poised to form the next government, Balendra Shah is expected to become Nepal’s youngest elected executive leader and the country’s first Madhesi prime minister, marking a historic political transition.
