RSP Elects Balendra Shah as Parliamentary Party Leader, Clearing Path for Premiership

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the largest party in the House of Representatives, on Thursday, March 26, unanimously elected senior vice chair Balendra Shah as its parliamentary party leader, paving the way for his appointment as prime minister.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s parliamentary committee held shortly after the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected lawmakers.

Shah is set to take the oath of office and secrecy as prime minister on Friday afternoon at the President’s Office, Shital Niwas.

The RSP had contested the March 5 House of Representatives elections with Shah as its prime ministerial candidate and secured a landslide victory, winning 182 of the 275 seats.

The Nepali Congress won 38 seats, the CPN-UML 25, the Nepal Communist Party 17, the Shram Sanskriti Party seven, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party five. Independent candidate Mahabir Pun was elected from the Myagdi constituency.

Shah’s political rise has been swift and unconventional. A rapper and structural engineer, he first rose to national prominence after winning the Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayoral election in 2022.

Known for his strong stance against established political parties, Shah emerged as a symbol of hope for many young voters, particularly following the Gen Z-led movement in recent months.

In the run-up to the March 5 polls, Shah joined forces with RSP leader Rabi Lamichhane through a seven-point agreement that named him the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

He went on to defeat CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5 — Oli’s political stronghold — by a margin of nearly 50,000 votes, reflecting a broader national shift in voter sentiment.

Once sworn in, Shah will become the first prime minister from the Madheshi community and, at 35, the youngest to hold the office since the restoration of democracy in 1990.