Nepal polls: Balendra Shah defeats KP Sharma Oli by nearly 50,000 votes in Jhapa-5

Balendra or 'Balen' Shah

Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) scored a decisive victory over former prime minister KP Sharma Oli in Nepal’s closely watched Jhapa-5 seat.

The RSP leader secured 68,348 votes, while Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) managed 18,734, according to final election figures cited by The Himalayan Times. Shah won the contest by a margin of 49,614 votes.

Of the 163,379 registered voters in the constituency, 106,568 turned out to vote, underscoring the high level of public interest in the election.

Big upset for Oli

The result marks a major setback for KP Sharma Oli in his own stronghold. Oli, who has served twice as Nepal’s prime minister and led the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) for decades, was defeated by Balendra Shah, widely known as Balen, the former mayor of Kathmandu.

Shah built his political identity on an anti-establishment platform and rode the momentum of the Gen Z movement that reshaped Nepali politics last September.

Gen Z protests in Nepal 

Last year, Gen Z youth staged two days of intensified protests on September 8 and 9 that led to the ouster of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli of the CPN-UML, who was heading a coalition government backed by the Nepali Congress with nearly a two-thirds majority.

Following Oli’s removal, Balendra Shah emerged as a popular choice to lead the interim administration but declined the role, saying he preferred to contest parliamentary elections for a full term.

In January, he joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party and was soon named its prime ministerial candidate. Key issues highlighted by Gen Z during the protests and the election campaign included anti-corruption, good governance, an end to nepotism and a generational shift in political leadership.

‘Balen’, as Balendra Shah is popularly known, projected himself as the “son of Madhesh” during the election campaign -- with the party launching the campaign with 'Ab ki bar Balendra Sarkar' (This time there will be Balendra’s government) tagline.