Former rapper and Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) scored a resounding victory in Nepal’s Parliamentary Elections, unseating former Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 Constituency, according to the Election Commission.

Shah secured 68,348 votes, while Oli managed only 18,734 votes, confirming Shah’s position as the next PM. Representing the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Shah’s win comes as the party emerged as the dominant force in the elections, securing 59 seats under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system and leading in 62 other constituencies.