Balen's Earthshaking Victory: A Rapper's Ascent to Political Power

In a dramatic political upset, rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, has emerged victorious in Nepal's Jhapa-5 constituency. He defeated veteran politician and four-time Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli by an astonishing margin of approximately 50,000 votes, according to the Election Commission.

Balen, 35, representing the Rashtriya Swatantrata Party (RSP), secured 68,348 votes against Oli's 18,734, signaling a significant shift in Nepal's political landscape. Formerly the Kathmandu Mayor, Balen is now the RSP's prime ministerial candidate.

The RSP's success in this election is notable, with the party winning 62 seats from the 78 declared results and leading in 60 more. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), which had projected Oli as its Prime Ministerial candidate, faced a major setback.