Balendra Shah's RSP makes history, registers landmark victory in Nepal election

Balendra Shah's RSP secures a historic victory, making him Nepal's youngest and first Madhesi Prime Minister.

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah's RSP is all set to form the government in Nepal, after securing a sweeping victory in the crucial general election, the results of which were declared on Sunday (March 8, 2026), decimating the established parties in the politically-fragile Himalayan country.

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Popularly known as "Balen", the 35-year-old prime-ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) defeated four-time former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party — the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) — by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency.

Mr. Balen secured 68,348 votes against 74-year-old Oli's 18,734, the Election Commission (EC) said.

Mr. Balen is expected to be the next Prime Minister of Nepal, reflecting a public mood of rejection of established parties. The RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, has won 100 seats out of the 129 seats for which results were declared by 7 a.m., according to the EC.

Mr. Balen will be the first Madhesi Prime Minister of the Himalayan country and also the youngest to occupy the top post in Nepal's parliamentary history.