Rastriya Swatantra Party Emerges as Leading Force in Nepal Election, Balendra Shah Tops Jhapa-5

Nepal’s general election produced a sharp political shift after the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) surged ahead of older rivals. Early Election Commission figures showed the new party nearing single-party control in the House of Representatives. The same updates pointed to steep losses for the Nepali Congress and major communist groups.

The RSP, formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, recorded a decisive lead as constituency results arrived. The Election Commission reported the party had already won 117 of 165 directly elected seats. It also led in eight more seats. Results were declared in 152 constituencies, with 13 still pending confirmation.

Across the wider field, the Nepali Congress secured 17 directly elected seats. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), led by K. P. Sharma Oli, won seven seats and led in three. The Nepal Communist Party also took seven seats. The Shram Sanskriti Party won two and led in one.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party captured one seat, and one independent also entered Parliament. These counts, alongside the RSP’s lead, indicated reduced space for established parties. The pattern of outcomes became clear before the final constituencies were confirmed. The Election Commission updates continued to show the RSP in front.

Election Commission data also showed the RSP won all 15 constituencies in Kathmandu Valley’s three districts. The clean sweep in the capital region signalled a strong shift in voter mood. The result was widely treated as a proxy for national sentiment. It also underlined support for newer faces over legacy party leadership.

Rastriya Swatantra Party Nepal election impact: Balendra Shah result

Balendra Shah, also known as Balen, emerged as a leading contender for prime minister. Balendra Shah delivered a heavy defeat to four-time former prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5. Balendra Shah secured 68,348 votes. K. P. Sharma Oli received 18,734, a gap near 50,000 votes.

If confirmed as prime minister, Balendra Shah would become Nepal’s youngest prime minister. Balendra Shah would also be the first Madhesi leader to hold the post. The large margin in Jhapa-5 pointed to voter anger with long-standing leadership. The RSP’s constituency outcomes reinforced that message across several regions.

Senior figures in established parties also lost seats as the RSP expanded. Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa lost in Dhanusha-4 to RSP candidate Amaresh Singh. Official data showed Amaresh Singh won 33,688 votes, while Gagan Thapa received 22,831. Other Nepali Congress leaders also failed to retain seats.

The CPN-UML also faced setbacks, with ten office bearers losing. Those defeated included general secretary Shankar Pokharel. Vice presidents Bishnu Paudel, Prithvi Subba Gurung, and Gokarna Bista also lost. Deputy general secretary Raghubir Mahaseth was defeated too. Party secretaries Sherdhan Rai, Mahesh Basnet, Rajan Bhattarai, and Bhanubhakta Dhakal also lost.

The House of Representatives has 275 members in total. Of these, 165 were elected through direct voting. Another 110 were chosen under proportional representation. Around 3,400 candidates contested the 165 first-past-the-post seats. A further 3,135 candidates ran for the 110 proportional seats, per reported figures.

The proportional vote count also placed the RSP on top as of Sunday. The party led with 18,15,857 votes. The Nepali Congress followed with 6,18,630 votes, and CPN-UML had 5,19,353. The Nepal Communist Party recorded 2,45,804 votes, RPP had 1,31,277, and Shram Sanskriti Party had 78,072.

Party	Proportional votes (as of Sunday)
Rastriya Swatantra Party	18,15,857
Nepali Congress	6,18,630
CPN-UML	5,19,353
Nepali Communist Party	2,45,804
Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP)	1,31,277
Shram Sanskriti Party	78,072

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All information is shared for education and information only. Readers were expected to verify details independently before decisions. The Election Commission’s early and partial counts still showed a clear RSP lead. Seat wins, regional sweeps, and vote totals together mapped a major change in Nepal’s parliamentary balance.