Overview
- Final tallies indicate the Rastriya Swatantra Party won 182 of 275 seats, including 125 directly elected and 57 via proportional representation, delivering a near two-thirds mandate.
- The electoral wave followed Gen Z-led protests over corruption and governance that helped unseat the previous administration six months earlier.
- Shah, a 35-year-old former rapper and ex-Kathmandu mayor, expanded appeal beyond youth through locally credible candidates and inclusive outreach, including a Maithili address in Janakpur.
- He defeated former prime minister K P Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5, signaling a broader rejection of Nepal’s traditional party leadership.
- Attention now shifts to high-stakes governing tests: impatient voters, constrained finances, careful handling of India ties after cordial post-election messages, and diaspora concerns such as emergency rescues, with remittances near 26% of GDP.