Nepal held its general election on Thursday, March 5, 2026, with prominent candidates including rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party casting their votes in Kathmandu.
Ballot boxes were transported to counting centres at the historic Bashantapur Durbar Square as the nation awaited results. By March 6, RSP candidates and supporters celebrated early wins, signalling a strong performance for the independent political party.
Key Points
- With the Rastriya Swatantra Party likely to win a two thirds majority, rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah will be Nepal's next prime minister.
- Balen Shah, who was Kathmandu's mayor when the Gen Z protests erupted last year, defeated K P Sharma Oli, who stepped down as Nepal's prime minister after the Gen Z upsurge, in Jhapa.
- Former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' retained his seat in parliament.
IMAGE: Balendra Shah, the rapper-turned-politician and the Rastriya Swatantra Party's prime ministerial candidate, queues to vote during the general election in Kathmandu, March 5, 2026. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Balendra Shah at a polling station in Kathmandu, March 5, 2026. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Balendra Shah votes in the general election in Kathmandu, March 5, 2026. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Polling officials carry the ballot boxes to the counting centre at Bashantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, March 5, 2026, here and below. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Election commission officials count votes a day after polling ended, March 6, 2026. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, a Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate, waves to supporters while returning from a counting centre after winning the election, March 6, 2026. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Biraj Bhakta Shrestha offers a ceremonial scarf to a lady waiting outside the counting centre in Kathmandu, March 6, 2026. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Rastriya Swatantra Party supporters celebrate after election officials announce that Balendra Shah is leading former prime minister K P Sharma Oli outside a counting centre in Damak, Jhapa district, Nepal, March 7, 2026, here and below. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
IMAGE: Rastriya Swatantra Party supporters celebrate outside a counting centre in Kathmandu, March 6, 2026 Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: People wait outside a counting centre in Damak, Jhapa district, March 6, 2026. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
IMAGE: Ranju Darshana, a Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate, celebrates along with party members and supporters after winning the election, March 6, 2026.Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Rastriya Swatantra Party supporters cheer outside a counting centre in Kathmandu, following initial results a day, March 6, 2026. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
IMAGE: Suman KC, 55, wearing earrings in the shape of bells, the Rastriya Swatantra Party's election symbol, rings bells at his shop outside a counting centre in Kathmandu, March 6, 2026. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
Photographs curated and Feature Presentation by Manisha Kotian/Rediff