Gen Z favourite Balen Shah’s RSP leads early trends in Nepal election results
Rapper-turned-politician leads former PM KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa as Nepal counts votes in first general election since last year’s youth-led protests
The newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has won one seat and is leading in another 36, while the Nepali Congress is ahead in five, the CPN (UML) in three and the Nepali Communist Party in one, according to preliminary results in 46 seats of Nepal’s parliamentary elections where counting is underway.
Nepal witnessed about 60 per cent voter turnout during the elections to the House of Representatives on Thursday, the country's first polls since violent Gen Z protests that toppled the KP Sharma Oli-led coalition government last year.
The RSP, led by rapper-turned-politician and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, is leading in all 10 constituencies of Kathmandu, according to media reports. Shah, 35, popularly known as Balen, drew large crowds, particularly young voters, during campaign rallies. He is currently leading against Oli, 74, in the Jhapa constituency, the veteran leader’s political stronghold.
Also read | Nepal records 18 pc turnout till noon in election since Gen Z protests
Balen joined the RSP, led by former television host-turned-politician Rabi Lamichhane, in December, about two months after youth-led protests erupted across the Himalayan nation over allegations of widespread corruption. He emerged as a prominent face among the young protesters during the demonstrations in September.
Meanwhile, KP Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML) and the Nepali Congress led by Gagan Thapa are each ahead in three seats. Former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who heads the Nepali Communist Party, is also leading in the Rukum East constituency.
Around 60 per cent of Nepal’s 19 million eligible voters cast their ballots in Thursday’s elections to the House of Representatives.
As a close neighbour, India is closely monitoring the election outcome in Nepal. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal recently said India has “consistently supported peace, progress and stability in Nepal”.
“We look forward to working with the new government of Nepal to further build on the robust, multifaceted ties between our two countries and peoples for mutual benefit,” he said.
India also provided logistical assistance for the conduct of Nepal’s elections.