Nepal Elections: Balen Shah Leads Early in Prime Ministerial Race, Ahead of KP Sharma Oli

Kathmandu

Vote counting is underway in Nepal following the parliamentary elections held on March 5, and early results indicate a strong performance by Balen Shah, the prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

According to Nepali media reports, the RSP is currently leading in 35 out of 43 seats in the early counting trends. Shah has also taken an early lead over former prime minister K P Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency in eastern Nepal.

Initial data from the news portal Ekantipur shows Shah receiving 1,478 votes, while Oli has secured 385 votes so far.

RSP Emerges as Strong Contender
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Apart from Shah’s lead, his party, the RSP, has also made a strong showing in early counting trends. Latest updates indicate the party is ahead in 39 constituencies, while the Nepali Congress leads in three constituencies and the Nepal Communist Party is ahead in two.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) led by Oli has yet to secure a lead in any constituency in the early results.

Electoral System and Parliamentary Seats

Vote counting is being conducted under the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) system to elect 165 members of the lower house. The remaining 110 members will be selected through the proportional representation system, forming the 275-member parliament.

Political Shift After Gen-Z Protests

The elections come nearly six months after the Gen-Z protests that shook Nepal’s political landscape and led to the fall of the coalition government headed by KP Sharma Oli. The protests reflected growing frustration among young voters who believe traditional political parties have slowed the country’s progress.

Early results suggest that the decades-long dominance of traditional parties, including Nepali Congress and communist factions, may be weakening, while newer political forces like the RSP are gaining momentum. The party is led by former media personality Rabi Lamichhane.

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