Nepal’s early vote count puts ex-rapper’s party ahead

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah has dominated the race to become PM during the election campaign. Read more at straitstimes.com.

KATHMANDU – Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s party gained leads in early counting in Nepal’s general election, far outpacing his rivals, including the country’s former prime minister who was forced to resign after a historic youth-led uprising in 2025.

Mr Shah, 35, former mayor of the capital city of Kathmandu, has dominated the race to become Nepal’s prime minister during the campaign, gaining popularity across the country.

Mr Shah’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party, which was founded three years ago, was leading in 37 seats, while former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist - UML) was leading in three, early counting trends from the election commission showed on the morning of March 6.

The centrist Nepali Congress led by 49-year-old Gagan Thapa, the country’s oldest party, was leading in five seats.

Results are likely to be clear by the evening of March 6 or by March 7, officials said.

Out of a total of 275 seats in Nepal’s Lower House of Parliament, counting was in progress for 165 seats that are elected by direct election, while the remaining 110 will follow a system of proportional representation.