Vote counting is under way in Nepal following the March 5 general election, held amid political turbulence. Early trends show the Rastriya Swatantra Party, led by rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah, taking a strong lead in many constituencies.
Nepal’s Parliament has 275 seats, with 165 elected through direct polls and the remaining 110 filled through proportional representation. Officials said voter turnout was around 60%.
Balen Shah, a former mayor of Kathmandu, was named the party’s prime ministerial candidate. The Unified Marxist–Leninist party fielded former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli as its candidate.
As counting began for the 165 directly elected seats, Balen Shah’s party was reported to be leading in more than 70 constituencies. In contrast, Oli’s party was ahead in only six seats, while the Nepali Congress led in eight.
Shah, 35, is a construction engineer known for his rap career and for winning the Kathmandu mayoral election as an independent in 2022. He resigned as mayor in January to contest the national election, campaigning on transparent administration, corruption-free governance and reducing the dominance of traditional parties.
