Nepal

Balendra Shah's party won a landslide in the election that followed Nepal's Gen Z revolution. His style is pugnacious

Rastriya Swatantra Party's (RSP) prime ministerial candidate Balendra Shah on Tuesday expressed confidence in further deepening "historic" Nepal-India ties and making them more "outcome-oriented". The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician is all set to become Nepal's first Madhesi prime minister and also the Himalayan nation's youngest elected executive head. Shah made the remarks in a social media post while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his wishes on the party's electoral success. "Thank you for the good wishes honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji," he said in the post. "I express my confidence that we will work together to further strengthen, deepen and make more outcome-oriented the historic, close, and multi-dimensional relations existing between Nepal and India in the coming days," he said. The RSP, formed in 2022, has won 125 of the 165 seats under direct voting in Nepal's parliamentary polls as vote counting under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system ...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) of Nepal Rabi Lamichhane and Balendra Shah and congratulated them for their election victory and conveyed India's commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of the two countries. In his telephonic conversations with the two leaders of Nepal, PM Modi said he was confident that with the joint endeavours, India-Nepal relations will scale new heights in the coming years. "Had warm telephone conversations with Mr. Rabi Lamichhane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Mr. Balendra Shah, Senior Leader of the RSP," he said in a post on 'X'. The prime minister said he congratulated both leaders on their electoral victories and RSP's resounding success in the Nepal elections. "Conveyed my best wishes for their forthcoming new Government and India's commitment to work with them for mutual prosperity, progress and well-being of our two countries," he ...

From rapper and civil engineer to Kathmandu mayor and now prime minister-in-waiting, Balendra 'Balen' Shah has emerged as the face of Nepal's youth-driven political shift

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is heading towards a two-thirds majority in Nepal's parliamentary polls, securing 124 seats under direct voting and nearly 40 lakh votes under the proportionate-voting system as of 7 am on Monday. The RSP has won 124 seats and is leading in one seat, whereas the Nepali Congress (NC) has won 17 seats and is leading in one seat. The CPN-UML has won eight seats and is leading in one seat and the NCP has won seven seats. The Shram Sanskriti Party has won three seats, the RPP and Independent candidates have won one seat each. So far, the results for 161 of the 165 seats have been declared under direct voting. The outcome on the remaining four seats is expected to be declared in the afternoon. Under proportionate voting, the RSP has secured 37,89,803 votes, the NC 12,75,594, the CPN-UML 10,79,726, the NCP 5,55,300, the Shram Sanskriti Party 2,65,398, the Janata Samajwadi Party 1,16,463 and the Rastriya Parivartan Party has bagged 1,08,084 votes. Nepal i

Today's Opinion highlights RBI's draft digital fraud framework, Nepal's political churn under Balen Shah, questions around India's growth optimism, LBS reforms, and a book on plastic's global spread.

With Balen Shah's Rashtriya Swatantra Party heading for a landslide in Nepal's polls, New Delhi hopes a stable majority government will reset strained ties after the K P Sharma Oli era

Mr Shah, popularly known as Balen, rode a wave of GenZ discontent to defeat four-time former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah's RSP is all set to form the next government in Nepal after securing a sweeping victory in the crucial general election on Saturday, decimating the established parties in the politically-fragile country. Popularly known as "Balen", the 35-year-old prime-ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) defeated four-time former prime minister K P Sharma Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party -- the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency. Balen, 35, secured 68,348 votes against 74-year-old Oli's 18,734, the Election Commission (EC) said. Balen is expected to be the next prime minister of Nepal, reflecting a public mood of rejection of established parties. Balen will be the first Madhesi prime minister of the Himalayan country as also the youngest to occupy the top post in Nepal's parliamentary history. The RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Ravi

Balendra Shah 'Balen', the rapper-turned-politician who won Kathmandu's 2022 mayoral polls as an independent, has become the face of a generational change, symbolising a break from Nepal's traditional parties. Popular as 'Balen,' the prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) defeated four-time prime minister K P Sharma Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) -- CPN-UML -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in Jhapa-5 constituency on Saturday. The 35-year-old engineer was a popular choice to lead the interim government after Gen Z youths toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government in September last year, following two-day nationwide violent protests against corruption and a ban on social media. But Balen declined then to lead the interim government, saying he would rather head the government by contesting the parliamentary election for a full term. In January, he joined the newly formed Rastri

RSP's Balendra Shah on Saturday defeated four-time PM K P Sharma Oli by a huge margin and set to form the next government in Nepal, decimating traditional political parties in the first general elections since last year's violent Gen Z protests demanding generational change and corruption-free regime. Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah 'Balen,' the prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) defeated Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) -- CPN-UML -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in Jhapa-5 constituency. Balen, 35, secured 68,348 votes against 74-year-old Oli's 18,734, the Election Commission (EC) said. The RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, has won 62 seats out of the 78 seats for which results have been declared by 6:30 pm, according to the Election Commission (EC). RSP's seats include a clean sweep in all 10 constituencies of Kathmandu district even as it is leading in 60

Young voters say mandate for new leadership must translate into visible change, warning that promises alone will not address corruption, unemployment, weak public services, and political instability

Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah's newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was on Saturday heading towards a sweeping victory in Nepal's first general elections since the violent Gen Z protests, shattering the dominance of established political parties in the politically fragile nation. According to the latest Election Commission data, the RSP has won 20 seats and is ahead in 98 others. The election is being closely watched by India, which hopes for a stable government in the politically fragile Himalayan nation to take forward the developmental partnership between the two sides. "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," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in Delhi on Thursday. He said India has "consistently supported peace, progress and stability in Nepal and in keeping with our commitment, provided logistical ...

Rastriya Swotantra Party is leading in 23 seats, while Nepali Congress and CPN-UML are leading in three each as per the preliminary election results. Vote counting started late on Thursday night, according to the Election Commission. Counting is expected to be completed by Friday night. Nepal witnessed about 60 per cent voter turnout during the elections to the House of Representatives on Thursday - the country's first polls since violent Gen Z protests that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government last year.

Nepalese on Thursday morning started to reach polling booths to cast their vote in crucial general elections, the first since a violent Gen Z-led protest that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led government last year. More than 18.9 million eligible Nepalese will be exercising their franchise to elect the 275-member House of Representatives from among the 3,406 candidates vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates vying for 110 seats through proportionate voting. The voting started at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. The counting will start immediately after the ballot boxes are collected. Addressing a press meet here on the eve of the polls, Acting Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari on Wednesday had said that all preparations for the election had been completed and urged voters to participate actively and enthusiastically in the democratic exercise.

Nepal heads to the polls for the first time since Gen Z-led protests that toppled former PM K P Sharma Oli's government. RSP's Balendra Shah has emerged as a frontrunner for the country's top post

Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old former rapper-turned-politician who was previously the mayor of the capital Kathmandu, has emerged as a front-runner with backing from many of the young voters

Voting will be held on Thursday for the general elections, the first one to be held after a Gen Z youth led protest toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led government in Nepal last year. More than 18.9 million eligible Nepalese will exercise their franchise to elect 275 member House of Representatives (HoR) from among the 3,406 candidates vying for 165 seats under direct voting and 3,135 candidates vying for 110 seats through proportionate voting. The election campaign concluded mid-night of Monday, March 2. The voting will start at 7 am on Thursday, March 5, and conclude at 5 pm. Acting Chief election commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari told media persons on Wednesday, "This time the voting percentage will increase and the percentage of invalid ballot papers will also decline due to improved voter education launched by the commission." He also sought cooperation from all sides to conduct the election successfully. The Gen Z youth through their two-day intensified protests on September 8 and

Chaos prevailed at Kempegowda International Airport here after passengers bound for Nepal have staged a protest against a private airline, alleging gross mismanagement that disrupted their travel plans for two consecutive days. According to passengers, the flight departed Bengaluru for Kathmandu at 10.30 am on Thursday. However, the aircraft returned without landing in Kathmandu under circumstances that were not clearly communicated to travellers, they alleged. The same aircraft reportedly took off again on Friday morning, but once again failed to land in Kathmandu and was diverted to Lucknow. Passengers alleged that they were made to remain seated inside the aircraft for several hours after landing in Lucknow. "We were kept inside the plane for hours without proper information. No one clearly explained what was happening," a passenger said during their protest on Friday. After prolonged waiting and exhaustion, travellers staged a protest inside the aircraft, forcing the airline to

The India-Nepal border will remain closed from midnight of March 2 to midnight of 5 in view of the general elections scheduled in Nepal on March 5, officials said on Friday. Sudhir Sharma, in-charge of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Rupaidiha, Bahraich, told PTI that Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an official communication dated February 26 regarding the closure. According to the letter, all border outposts along the entire stretch of Banke district adjoining India will remain closed from 12 am on the intervening night of March 2 and 3 till 12 am on March 5 to ensure that the election process is conducted in a free, fair, fearless and credible environment. Sharma said that import and export of goods through the ICP would remain suspended during the period, but movement of essential medicines and other critical commodities will not be stopped. Commandant Ganga Singh Udawat of the 42nd Battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal said instructions have been issued to enforce ...