Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Balendra Shah, the prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), moved a step closer to assuming the chair of the head of the government, securing a comfortable victory in Jhapa-5 seat of the House of Representatives.
Shah, who recevied 68,348 votes, humiliated four-time prime minister and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli who polled only 18,734 votes.
Oli, one of the most influential figures in Nepal’s leftist politics with a political career spanning nearly five decades, suffered a decisive defeat in the closely watched constituency.
The victory marks a remarkable political rise for Shah who first entered active politics in 2022 by contesting and winning the mayoral election in Kathmandu.
With the RSP projected to secure a clear majority in the House—and potentially approach a two-thirds majority—the path now appears clear for Shah to lead the next government.
Shah’s rapid rise from a cultural figure to mayor and now likely prime minister reflects growing public appetite for new leadership and political alternatives.
The proces of forming a new government will begins once the final election results are certified and the new parliament convenes in a sprawlig new parliament building in Singha Durbar.
