Nepal Election Results Live Updates: Balen Shah leads in 110 seats

Rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah is poised to become Nepal Prime Minister. His party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, now leads in 110 seats, inching closer to a landslide victory.

Balen Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party now leads in 107 seats and has won one. Other parties, including Prime Minister KP Oli's party only leads in 11 while the Nepali Congress has conceded defeat.

Balen Shah's Rashtriya Swatantrata Party is leading in 62 seats, while the Nepali Congress is ahead in nine. KP Sharma Oli's party is leading in just four seats, while Pushpa Kamal Dahal's Nepali Communist Party is ahead in three, The Kathmandu Post reports.

Balen Shah's Rashtriya Swatantrata Party is leading in 56 seats, while Gagan Kumar Thapa's Nepali Congress holds the lead in eight constituencies.

The Nepali Communist Party, led by former premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda,” is currently leading in three constituencies, while the pro-monarchist Rastriya Prajatantra Party holds a lead in one. RSP has secured victories in Kathmandu 1, 7, and 8, according to party sources.

Balendra Shah's Rashtriya Swatantrata Party (RSP) is now leading in 50 of the 165 directly elected seats in Nepal’s general election. Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s CPN-UML and Gagan Thapa’s Nepali Congress are each ahead in just five seats, as early trends indicate a strong youth-backed performance by Shah’s party.

Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Ranju Neupane (Darshana) has won the Kathmandu-1 parliamentary seat with 15,455 votes, according to the final count. She defeated Nepali Congress candidate Prabal Thapa, while Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Rabindra Mishra finished third.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is leading in all 10 constituencies of Kathmandu as counting continues after peaceful polls. Former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, is also ahead of former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5.

Balendra Shah’s Rashtriya Swatantra Party is leading in 46 seats in early trends from Nepal’s parliamentary election. KP Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) is ahead in 5 seats, while Gagan Kumar Thapa’s Nepali Congress leads in 4 and Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) in 3, according to initial counting trends.

India on Friday welcomed the successful conduct of Nepal’s general election and said it looks forward to working closely with the incoming government to further strengthen bilateral ties.

“We welcome the successful conduct of elections and the exercise of their democratic mandate by the citizens of Nepal today, which has seen enthusiastic participation. 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,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, responding to media queries after the conclusion of Nepal’s general election.

Early trends in Nepal’s parliamentary election show Balendra Shah’s Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leading in 45 of the 165 directly elected seats. Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) is a distant second, leading in just five seats, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Nepal declared a three-day public holiday for the elections, closed the India–Nepal border temporarily and imposed a nationwide alcohol ban until the final results are announced.

Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, has emerged as a leading prime ministerial hopeful in Nepal’s elections, symbolising youth-driven political change after backing the protests that toppled the previous government. The 35-year-old civil engineer first gained fame as a hip-hop artist whose songs criticised corruption and inequality.

He entered politics in 2022 after winning Kathmandu’s mayoral race as an independent candidate. Shah later joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in 2025 and is now challenging former prime minister KP Sharma Oli in his home constituency.

Results for Nepal’s 165 first-past-the-post (FPTP) seats are expected by Friday evening as vote counting continues.

However, results for the remaining 110 seats elected through proportional representation may take several more days to be finalised.

Nepal’s interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki has called for patience as the country awaits clarity on the formation of the next government while vote counting continues after the general election. She said the interim administration will work to ensure a smooth and swift transition of power.

"Lets see what kind of government will be formed, whether there will be coalition or a single party government. We will try for quick handover because youths have huge expectations with the new government," Karki told BBC.

Nepal began counting votes on Friday after a closely fought parliamentary election held months after the 2025 uprising that toppled the government. Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said the vote must help restore peace, stability and democratic order in the country.

"This election has to maintain peace and order and ensure the public that normalcy is back in the nation so that people can continue their business and activities without fear or restraints," he said.

Calling for leaders committed to stability and development, Oli added, "This election should elect those who are on the side of peace, good governance and development, the experienced, patriotic, democratic and progressive forces, with a landslide victory." Officials said final nationwide results may take several days and coalition talks are likely if no party secures a clear majority.

Vote counting began across Nepal on Friday following a closely contested parliamentary election that could reshape the country’s political leadership after the 2025 uprising that toppled the government. Early trends showed Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) taking the lead in several constituencies.

The vote comes after months of unrest that left at least 77 people dead and forced an interim administration into power. Officials said final nationwide results may take several days, and coalition negotiations are expected if no party wins a clear majority.