In a major embarrassment to former Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader Balendra Shah on Saturday defeated Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) chairperson in the high profile Jhapa-5 constituency by a margin of around 50,000 votes, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Shah, the rapper-turned politician and a former Kathmandu mayor, received 68,348 votes, while Oli received only 18,734 votes in a constituency that was once considered his bastion. This helped him defeat the former prime minister by 49,614 votes.
Shah’s party is also set for a landslide victory in the general elections in Nepal, which were the first polls in the Himalayan nation following the Gen Z protests last year. By the time this story was filed, the RSP had already won 63 seats and was leading on 58 others, according to the Nepal’s Election Commission. It must be mentioned here that Shah was RSP’s prime ministerial candidate for the elections.
The Nepali Congress is likely to emerge as the second largest party. As of now, it has won nine seats and is leading on 10 others. On the other hand, Oli’s CPN(UML) has won just three seats so far and is leading on eight others.
The general elections in Nepal
The polling for the general elections in Nepal was held on Thursday, and a voter turnout of around 60 per cent was recorded. As per the Election Commission, 3,400 candidates are vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates for 110 seats through proportionate voting. It had earlier said that 18.9 million people were eligible to cast their votes for these elections.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Nepal for successfully conducting the general elections. In his X post, he said India is committed to working closely with Nepal, whom he called a ‘close friend’ of New Delhi.
“I warmly congratulate the people and government of Nepal on the successful and peaceful conduct of elections. It is heartening to see my Nepali sisters and brothers exercise their democratic rights so vibrantly. This historic milestone is a proud moment in Nepal’s democratic journey,” he said on the micro-blogging website.
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