Overview
- Election Commission figures show the Rastriya Swatantra Party has secured roughly 103–106 of 165 directly elected seats and leads in more constituencies.
- With about half of the proportional vote, the party is on track to surpass the 138-seat threshold needed to govern in the 275-member lower house, pending final certification.
- Party leader Balendra “Balen” Shah, a former rapper and Kathmandu mayor, is the clear front-runner for prime minister after defeating ex–prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli in his race.
- Counting continues with final results expected within days, as officials retrieve ballots from remote mountain areas, including by helicopter.
- The surge has sidelined long-dominant forces in the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, as Gen Z–driven mobilization and anti-corruption anger reshaped the electoral map, with the RSP urging subdued celebrations in respect for those killed in 2025.