Rapper-turned-politician Balendra (Balen) Shah and his newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) appear to be heading for a big victory in Nepal’s first general election since the violent Gen Z protests. The early trends suggest that the new party has significantly challenged the dominance of long-established political groups in the politically sensitive country.

According to the latest data released by the Election Commission of Nepal, the RSP has already won 18 seats and is leading in 99 other constituencies, PTI reported.

Balendra Shah leads comfortably in KP Oli stronghold

Shah, who earlier served as the Mayor of Kathmandu, is leading by a large margin in Jhapa-5. 

He has secured more than 15,000 votes so far in the constituency, which has long been considered a stronghold of four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist). Oli has received around 3,300 votes so far.

Gen Z support behind Shah’s rise

Shah’s party is widely believed to have strong support from Gen Z voters. His growing popularity is closely linked to the wave of youth anger that sparked last year’s protests across Nepal.

A former rapper who is very active on social media, Shah built a strong base among young urban voters. He used digital platforms, anti-establishment messages and criticism of traditional political leaders to attract support.

Meanwhile, RSP candidate Ranju Neupane, also known as Darshana, became the first candidate to win a parliamentary seat from Kathmandu-1.

High voter turnout in first election after Gen Z protests

These parliamentary elections are the first to be held since last year’s Gen Z-led protests. Officials estimate that around 60 per cent of voters participated in the polls, with particularly strong turnout from young voters.

Initial estimates suggest that Gen Z voters brought what authorities described as “unprecedented” energy to the election process. The Election Commission said voting was conducted smoothly thanks to better voter awareness, cooperation from political parties and strong security arrangements.

In total, around 18.9 million voters were eligible to choose 275 members of the House of Representatives. Voting took place on Thursday, with nearly 60 per cent. Around 3,400 candidates contested 165 seats through direct elections, while 3,135 candidates competed for 110 seats under the proportional representation system.

Last year, Gen Z protesters held two days of intense demonstrations on September 8 and 9, which forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to step down. At the time, Oli was leading a coalition government backed by the Nepali Congress, which had nearly a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

After Oli resigned, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12 and appointed Sushila Karki as the caretaker prime minister.

The main demands raised by Gen Z protesters included action against corruption, better governance, an end to nepotism and a generational change in Nepal’s political leadership.

Performance of other major parties in Nepal

Among other parties, the Nepali Congress has won four seats and is leading in 11 more constituencies. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) has secured one seat and is ahead in 11 others. The Nepal Communist Party has won two seats and is leading in 10 constituencies, while the Shram Sanskriti Party is currently ahead in three seats, down from six earlier.

Out of the total 275 members of Parliament, 165 are elected through direct voting, while the remaining 110 are chosen through a proportional representation system.