Kathmandu (TDI): In Nepal’s elections, early results show Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old civil engineer, former rapper, and ex-mayor of Kathmandu, leading his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) toward a sweeping parliamentary majority, something no single party has achieved in the country in over two decades.
According to preliminary counts, the RSP has secured a commanding lead in many constituencies and appears on track to win well over a hundred of the 165 directly elected parliamentary seats.
Early tallies show the Nepali Congress trailing far behind, while the Nepal Communist Party led by four-time former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has won only a handful of seats so far. In a symbolic setback for the political establishment, Oli is also trailing Shah in his own home constituency.
Every previous government in Nepal had been a coalition, with conflicting agendas. Legislation stalled and reform postponed every time.
A generation of young Nepalis, educated and connected but economically challenged, grew increasingly frustrated over time.
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That frustration boiled over in September 2025, when youth-led protests, initially sparked by a proposed social media ban, swept the country and forced Oli’s resignation.
Nepal’s President dissolved parliament and appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim Prime Minister, the first woman to hold the office, with a single mandate: hold free and fair elections.
Shah, who built his early public identity as an anti-corruption rapper before winning the Kathmandu mayoral race as an independent in 2022, ran a disciplined campaign powered by social media.
His campaign’s agenda has been clean governance, accountability, and a break from traditional politics; which resonated across the country, especially with first-time voters.
At 35, Shah could become one of the youngest heads of government in the world. His majority gives him something rare in Nepali politics; the legislative power to actually govern.
