Rapper-politician Balendra Shah scripts history, dethrones ex-PM Sharma KP Oli after landslide victory
Shah, popularly known as Balen, is the 35-year-old prime ministerial candidate of the RSP who defeated four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal.
PTC News Desk: Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is set to form the next government in Nepal after achieving a massive victory in the key general elections held on Saturday. The result dealt a heavy blow to the country’s traditional political parties.
Shah, popularly known as Balen, is the 35-year-old prime ministerial candidate of the RSP. He defeated four-time prime minister KP Sharma Oli, the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML), by nearly 50,000 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency.
According to the Election Commission, Balen received 68,348 votes, while the 74-year-old Oli secured only 18,734 votes.
With this strong performance, Shah is expected to become Nepal’s next prime minister, reflecting public dissatisfaction with long-established parties. The RSP, founded in 2022 by Rabi Lamichhane, had won 72 out of the 90 seats for which results were declared by 9:30 pm, according to the Election Commission.
The party achieved a clean sweep in all 10 constituencies of the Kathmandu District.
In September 2025, unrest broke out in Nepal as so-called Gen Z protests erupted after KP Sharma Oli banned several social media platforms.
The protests soon intensified, with demonstrators openly criticising Nepal’s political system and highlighting issues of class inequality. Many protesters also targeted the influence of “nepo babies” — children of powerful politicians — in the country’s politics.
According to reports, 77 people were killed during the demonstrations. A later investigation by BBC found that Nepal’s police chief had ordered the use of lethal force against thousands of unarmed protesters.