KATHMANDU, March 7: In one of the biggest upsets of the House of Representatives (HoR) election, the Rastriya Swatantra Party’s (RSP) prime ministerial candidate Balen Shah has defeated former prime minister and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli by a huge margin in Jhapa-5.
Shah secured 68,348 votes, while Oli was limited to 18,734 votes, giving the RSP candidate a commanding victory margin of 49,614 votes.
The contest drew nationwide attention as Oli had long dominated the Jhapa-5 constituency, remaining almost unbeaten in previous parliamentary elections. Shah, on the other hand, entered parliamentary politics for the first time, making the result one of the most dramatic electoral shifts of the ongoing polls.
Kathmandu: Balen Shah leading with 28,020 votes
RSP had projected Shah as its future prime ministerial candidate, placing him at the centre of its nationwide campaign. His victory over a veteran leader like Oli is expected to further energise the party’s surge in the current elections.
Samir Tamang of the Shram Sanskriti Party finished third with 9,233 votes, while Mandhara Chimaria of the Nepali Congress secured 1,821 votes, placing fourth.
Shah had previously served as the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. He resigned from the post following the announcement of the HoR elections and shifted his focus to national politics, choosing Jhapa-5—Oli’s long-time political stronghold—as his electoral battleground.
The landslide result marks a significant turning point in Nepal’s evolving political landscape, symbolising the growing challenge faced by established political forces from emerging parties and new political figures.
