Youth-backed RSP win signals Nepal’s new political era Premium

Nepal’s general election, on March 5, 2026, has produced a refreshing and also stunning outcome

Nepal’s general election, on March 5, 2026, has produced a refreshing, if stunning, outcome. The landslide victory of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is a watershed in Nepali politics. Traditional political parties were routed; prominent leaders of the ancien régime, including senior leaders from the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist), or CPN(UML), lost to newer political faces. For New Delhi, this is a unique opportunity to shape a new future for bilateral relations.

The elections were held in the backdrop of the Gen Z movement, in September 2025. The massive protests, by Nepal’s youth, were directed against the twin issues of corruption and nepotism. They led to the formation of a temporary government led by former Nepal Chief Justice Sushila Karki as the interim Prime Minister, with a clear mandate to hold the next elections. Consequently, on the recommendation of Ms. Karki, the President dissolved the lower house of Parliament, and the general election being held. For the 275-member House of Representative, 165 members are elected under first past the post (FPTP), and 110 members under proportional representation (PR) where voters choose parties. It is to the credit of Ms. Karki that the elections were held peacefully.

A party needs 138 seats in Nepal’s parliament to form a government, and it is clear that the RSP will comfortably form the new government without a coalition partner.

Although relatively new to national politics — having secured 20 seats in Parliament in the 2022 general election — the RSP has clearly captured public sentiment. Its rise can largely be attributed to dissatisfaction with traditional political parties, particularly among the youth. While RSP chairman, Rabi Lamichhane was made Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of Nepal in 2022, in the coalition government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, he was arrested in what were seen as framed charges of corruption. During the Gen Z protests, he was released from prison.

The RSP has declared Balendra “Balen” Shah as its prime ministerial candidate, while Mr. Lamichhane will retain the Party president post. The most startling symbol of a generational political shift is Mr. Shah’s rise, a former rapper who stunned the political establishment by becoming the Mayor of Kathmandu as an independent candidate in 2022. Mr. Shah, a trained structural engineer, first made his name in Nepal’s hip-hop scene. His rap lyrics — sharp, irreverent and often angry — took aim at corruption, political complacency and the everyday frustrations of urban life. His songs such as “Balidan”, circulated widely among young Nepalis long before he entered politics,made him an unlikely voice of dissent for a generation weary of cynical politics.

A supermajority for RSP leaves Nepal’s Parliament with weakest Opposition