Rapper-turned-politician unseats former Nepal PM in own constituency
His win over the 74-year-old Marxist leader -- and his rise from the capital's mayor to potential prime minister -- is one of the most dramatic results in recent Nepali politics.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) election candidate Balendra Shah (C) shows a victory sign after collecting a certificate following his win in parliamentary elections at the counting centre in Damak in Nepal's Jhapa district on March 7, 2026. Nepal's rapper-turned-mayor Shah grinned and flashed a V for victory sign on March 7 as Election Commission officials confirmed he had defeated veteran leader KP Sharma Oli in their parliamentary constituency. (Photos by AFP)
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JHAPA — Nepal's rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah grinned and flashed a V-for-victory sign on Saturday as Election Commission officials confirmed he had beaten veteran leader KP Sharma Oli in their parliamentary constituency.
The 35-year-old's party is also seemingly headed for a landslide victory nationally.
His win over the 74-year-old Marxist leader -- and his rise from the capital's mayor to potential prime minister -- is one of the most dramatic results in recent Nepali politics.
The first-time parliamentary lawmaker toured the streets of his new constituency on Saturday evening, wearing his signature dark sunglasses and waving from the sunroof of a car in a victory parade through cheering crowds who chanted "Balen" -- as he is better known.
Shah, who did not make a speech, won more than three times the votes than four-time prime minister.
The high-stakes election on Thursday came six months after deadly protests toppled the government led by Oli, with at least 77 people killed.
The September 2025 youth-led demonstrations, under a loose Gen Z banner, began over a brief social media ban but quickly tapped into broader grievances over corruption and a struggling economy.
Oli congratulated Balen on social media platform X later on Saturday, conceding defeat.
"Congratulations! Wish you a smooth and successful five-year tenure," Oli said.
Nationwide, Shah's centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was on track to win a majority in the 275-member House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament, according to early trends issued by the Election Commission, although counting still has far to go.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) election candidate Balendra Shah (centre R) meets supporters after collecting a certificate following his victory in parliamentary elections at the counting centre in Damak in Nepal's Jhapa district on March 7, 2026. Nepal's rapper-turned-mayor Shah grinned and flashed a V for victory sign on March 7 as Election Commission officials confirmed he had defeated veteran leader KP Sharma Oli in their parliamentary constituency.
"This is heading to a landslide victory -- this reflects the frustration that has been building up," said political analyst Chandra Dev Bhatta.
"It is actually the people's revolt against the established political parties," he said.
"The people understand that the new do not really have strong agendas, but it is a punishment to the parties for their decades-long poor governance."
'A day will come'
Shah leveraged his music fame and strong social media following to become Kathmandu's first independent mayor in 2022.
Rojan Bhattarai, 22, a student in Jhapa, said Shah was "a performer".
"I was 99.99 percent sure he will win, but the majority is shocking. That shows how much the people were upset with the previous government," Bhattarai told AFP.
"He has inspired us all."
Former Maoist guerrilla commander Pushpa Kamal Dahal's party has one.
Trends showed Shah's RSP was also leading in 61 of the remaining 89 constituencies in the direct elections.
It had secured comfortably more than half of the ballots counted so far in the proportional representation vote, which determines a further 110 seats through party lists.
Election Commission spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said RSP has "taken the lead in many places", but that full results were still days away.
"According to our plan, it will take at least a week to count the proportional votes, after which the election will go through the official process," he said.
He said the count was "going smoothly" across the Himalayan nation, from snowbound mountain regions to the hot plains bordering India.
Nepali Congress, the largest party in the past coalition government, also saw its new leader, Gagan Thapa, trailing in his constituency.
"This is even a bigger upset than we expected -- it underscores the level of public disenchantment with the old parties for under-performance, as well as anger over the events of September," said Kunda Dixit, publisher of the weekly Nepali Times.
The burnt-out ruins of Oli's home in Jhapa -- torched during the unrest, like hundreds of other buildings, including parliament -- served as a reminder of last year's deadly violence.
Dharmakala Gautam, 74, who watched the house burn, said she was tired of promises that never materialised.
"When the Maoists came to rule, we hoped for change -- but not much happened," she said. "I will keep some hope this time too."