Rapper-led centrist party poised for landslide in Nepal general election

The Story in Brief

Nepal’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, secured a majority in the direct parliamentary elections in partial official results and was heading for a landslide according to election commission trends. The 35-year-old Shah’s RSP was also leading in the proportional representation count. The vote was the first since the September 2025 youth anti-corruption protests that toppled the previous government. Shah defeated veteran four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli in his own constituency; Oli is 74 and led a Marxist coalition that was ousted in last year’s violence.

Elections chose a 275-member House of Representatives, with 185 seats directly elected and 110 by proportional representation. Of 157 direct results declared, the RSP led with 121 seats, Nepali Congress had 17 and the Marxists seven; the RSP was leading in half of the remaining eight constituencies. In the proportional vote RSP had nearly half of counted votes, but final results could take several days, the Election Commission said. A government inquiry submitted a 900-page report plus over 8,000 additional pages on the September violence; no one has yet been held accountable.

The Indian Opinion

Reports and commentary around the outcome have emphasised the dramatic nature of Shah’s rise from mayor to potential prime minister and described the result as a decisive break with established parties. An ordinary reader should note that much of this tone rests on partial counts and visible celebrations; the Election Commission has warned final results may take days. The commission report on the September violence adds an official element of inquiry, but its findings and any prosecutions remain to be seen. Competing statements, including denials and claims of “infiltrators”, show that some important questions are still unresolved.

Original article: Nepal’s rapper-led centrist party heads for poll landslide (IndoDaily)

This story was summarised and commented on by AI from the source linked above.