Overview
- The Rastriya Swatantra Party has won 125 of 165 first-past-the-post seats and leads the proportional vote near 48–50%, projecting roughly 184–185 of 275 seats as final allocations conclude.
- Balendra (Balen) Shah, 35, a former Kathmandu mayor and ex-rapper, is poised to become Nepal’s youngest prime minister after defeating former PM K.P. Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5.
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi phoned Shah and RSP chairman Rabi Lamichhane to congratulate them and pledged closer cooperation, as RSP committed to “development diplomacy” prioritizing connectivity, energy, trade and tourism with India.
- Election officials say proportional counting is in its final phase, with a few constituency issues and legal disputes pending before the Election Commission finalizes seat assignments.
- The landslide reflects voter backlash after last year’s Gen Z-led protests and raises expectations for cleaner governance, faster job creation in a remittance-reliant economy, and difficult choices on China-linked infrastructure projects.