Millions of voters in Nepal took part in parliamentary elections on Thursday, the first national vote since last year’s violent Gen Z-led protests that forced the collapse of the coalition government headed by former prime minister K P Sharma Oli.
According to the latest trends, rapper-turned-politician and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is currently leading in more than 20 seats. Issues such as corruption, governance, and demands for generational change dominated the campaign in the politically fragile Himalayan nation. Preliminary estimates put voter turnout at around 60 percent. Nepal’s acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said polling for the House of Representatives was conducted peacefully, with only minor incidents reported. Vote counting began late Thursday night, with final results expected by Friday. Early trends show the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by former rapper and ex-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, leading in dozens of constituencies. Shah, 35, drew strong support from younger voters during the campaign and is reportedly leading Oli, 74, in the Jhapa constituency. The Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) have secured a few early seats, while former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, head of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), is leading in Rukum East. More than 3,400 candidates from 65 political parties contested the election. Of the 275 seats in the House of Representatives, 165 are elected through the first-past-the-post system and 110 through proportional representation. India closely watching results
Neighbouring India is closely monitoring the election outcome. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi supported the electoral process. "We congratulate Prime Minister Sushila Karki, the Government and the people of Nepal as well as various stakeholders for successfully holding these polls which took place against the backdrop of exceptional circumstances last year," he said. He added: "We look forward to working with the new Government of Nepal to further build on the robust multifaceted ties between our two countries and peoples for mutual benefit." India had also provided logistical supplies to assist Nepal in conducting the elections.
