Supporters celebrate as Balen-led RSP heads for two-thirds majority in Nepal polls

Story by ANI | Posted by Vidushi Gaur | Date 06-03-2026

Representational image

Kathmandu

Hundreds of supporters took to the streets across Nepal on Friday, celebrating as the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by former Balendra Shah, surged toward a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections to the House of Representatives of Nepal.

Supporters gathered outside vote counting centres, singing, dancing and ringing bells—the party’s election symbol—while playing songs praising Shah, popularly known as “Balen,” who is widely expected to become Nepal’s next prime minister.

Speaking to ANI, RSP Vice President Dol Prasad Aryal said the party is confident of securing a commanding majority in the new parliament.

“One hundred and eighty-six. Yes, in total we are expecting 186 seats,” Aryal said while leaving a counting centre on the outskirts of Kathmandu on Friday afternoon.

Shah, a former rapper who rose to prominence as mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, appears poised to take the country’s top political office following the sweeping performance by the RSP in the elections.

The polls were held after months of political turmoil triggered by the Gen-Z protests in September last year, which led to the fall of the government headed by former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The two-day protests left at least 77 demonstrators dead after police opened fire on largely student-led crowds.

Thursday’s election recorded a preliminary voter turnout of around 60 per cent, according to early estimates. Political observers say the results could mark the beginning of a new phase in Nepal’s politics.

Addressing the party’s core agenda, Aryal said tackling corruption remains the central priority of the RSP.

“Many foreign countries speak about corruption in Nepal. When we formed this party, our main goal was to reduce corruption close to zero,” Aryal said. “People must feel that the government truly works for them. Development and delivery are our key priorities, and we hope to succeed.”

Vote counting is still underway for the 165 seats contested under the First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system. Early trends show the RSP leading in over 100 constituencies, with three seats already confirmed.

The Nepali Congress is trailing significantly, leading in just 12 seats with two confirmed wins, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML) has yet to secure a victory and is currently ahead in 11 constituencies.

In one of the most closely watched contests, Oli himself is trailing Shah by more than 13,000 votes, with the former prime minister currently behind by a margin of just over 3,000 votes.

Final results for the 275-member parliament, which includes 165 directly elected seats and 110 allocated through proportional representation, are expected within the next week.