Politics News
Ex-rapper Balendra Shah's party wins 182 of 275 seats in Nepal's first vote since the uprising
The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won 182 of the 275 seats in Nepal's House of Representatives, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday, March 12: 125 directly elected and 57 by proportional vote. That is just short of a two-thirds majority. The Nepali Congress won 38 seats and former prime minister K P Sharma Oli's CPN-UML 25. Voting took place on March 5, the first election since youth-led protests toppled Oli's government in September 2025.
India's Business Standard, carrying PTI, reported that the RSP's candidate for prime minister, 35-year-old former Kathmandu mayor Balendra “Balen” Shah, beat Oli, 74, in Oli's own Jhapa-5 constituency by 68,348 votes to 18,734. Turnout was about 60%, the RSP swept all 10 Kathmandu district seats, and Nepal has had 14 governments in 18 years. Swarajya put Shah's margin over Oli at 49,614 votes.
“It is heartening to see my Nepali sisters and brothers exercise their democratic rights so vibrantly.” — Narendra Modi, via Business Standard
Shah said his win reflected a refusal to take “the easy way out,” and Oli congratulated him on X, wishing him a “smooth and successful” term. Journalist Pranaya Rana told Al Jazeera that Shah embodies “the outsider spirit that many young Nepalis are looking for.”
How each outlet framed it
- Al Jazeera — an outsider's sweep after a youth revolt, and the steps before a prime minister is confirmed.
- Business Standard — the vote counts and India's interest in a stable neighbour.
- Swarajya — the fall of a veteran in his stronghold.
Where the numbers differ: Business Standard printed an interim Jhapa-5 count of 52,069 to 14,031 alongside the final-looking 68,348 to 18,734; the margin in the larger count matches Swarajya's 49,614.
What we don't know yet: When Shah will be confirmed. Al Jazeera said parties must first submit names for the proportional seats before parliament is summoned.