Balendra Shah, the rapper turned politician and figurehead of a youth revolution, is poised to become Nepal's next prime minister after his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) secured a historic landslide victory in the country's general election. The 35-year-old, widely known as Balen, led his party to an outright majority in the first poll since last year's deadly youth-led protests that toppled the previous government.
With counting nearly complete, the RSP has won at least 122 of 165 directly elected seats and is leading in three more, putting the party on course for the largest electoral majority since Nepal became a democracy. The final results, which will include additional seats allocated through proportional representation, are expected in the coming days. The election pitted the old guard against a younger generation demanding an end to corruption and a fresh start for the country.
Shah, an engineer by training, first rose to fame as a rapper whose songs criticised poverty, unemployment and corruption. He entered politics in 2022 by running independently for mayor of Kathmandu, winning a strong majority and embarking on a clean-up campaign. His national profile soared after the September youth uprising, which began over a social media ban and escalated into wider unrest, leaving 70 dead and forcing the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's government.
In a symbolic contest, Shah stood against the 74-year-old Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency and defeated him by a margin of nearly 50,000 votes. Conceding defeat, Oli wished Shah an 'uninterrupted five-year term'. Accepting his election certificate, Shah emerged from the sunroof of his vehicle wearing his signature dark sunglasses and black blazer, holding a banner that read: 'Congratulations to all of you, this is your victory.'
RSP senior leader Ramesh Paudyal called the result 'the victory of hope and change' and 'the most beautiful endorsement of the gen Z movement'. Gen Z activist Bhawana Raut said the outcome sends a clear message that leaders must be accountable, adding that it could bring 'healing' after the violence of the protests.
