Balendra Shah's newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is heading for a decisive win in Nepal's first general elections since last year’s Gen Z protests, breaking the dominance of established parties.
According to Election Commission data from 144 of 165 constituencies, the RSP has won three seats and is ahead in 104 others, local media reported.
Shah, the former Mayor of Kathmandu, is leading in Jhapa-5 against four-time prime minister and CPN-UML chair K P Sharma Oli in his stronghold. Shah, popularly known as Balen, received 6,551 votes, while Oli got 1,428 votes.
The 35-year-old engineer is expected to become Nepal's next prime minister, reflecting public rejection of established parties. Nepal has had 14 governments in the last 18 years.
India is closely watching the election, hoping for a stable government in Nepal to continue developmental cooperation.
"We look forward to working with the new Government of Nepal to further build on the ties between our two countries and peoples for mutual benefit," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in Delhi on Thursday.
He added, "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 constituencies, while the CPN-UML leads in 10. The Nepali Communist Party has won one and is ahead in six constituencies. The Shram Sanskriti Party leads in six constituencies.
Of the 275 members of Parliament, 165 are elected directly, and 110 are chosen through a proportionate system.
Balen was considered for the interim government after Gen Z youths toppled the Oli-led coalition last September through two days of protests against corruption and a social media ban. He declined to lead the interim administration, preferring to contest the parliamentary election for a full term.
In January, Shah joined the RSP, formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, and became the party’s prime ministerial candidate. The party received strong support during the campaign.
Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa was the prime ministerial candidate for his party, while CPN-UML projected Oli. Both parties were part of the government ousted by the Gen Z protests.
Other results include Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda winning Rukum Purba district with 10,240 votes against Lilamani Gautam of CPN-UML, who received 3,462 votes. Ranju Darshana of the RSP won Kathmandu-1 with 15,455 votes, while Yogesh Gauchan Thakali of the NC secured Mustang with 3,307 votes. Biraj Bhakta Shrestha of RSP was elected from Kathmandu constituency-8, and Shishir Khanal won Kathmandu constituency-6.
Voter turnout was around 60 percent. Counting began late Thursday night and is expected to finish by Friday night.
Nepal’s 18.9 million voters were eligible to elect 275 members. Around 3,400 candidates contested 165 direct seats, and 3,135 candidates vied for 110 proportionate seats.
The Gen Z protests on September 8 and 9 last year removed Prime Minister Oli, who led a coalition with Nepali Congress holding nearly two-thirds majority. After his ouster, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as caretaker PM.
The main issues raised by Gen Z include anti-corruption, good governance, ending nepotism, and generational change in political leadership.
