Nepal votes for a new dawn

NEPAL has made a clean break with the past. The sweeping victory of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in the national elections and the rise of 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, signal a dramatic rejection of the country’s entrenched political order. In a nation where fragile coalitions have long been the norm, the electorate has delivered a powerful message: the old guard has failed miserably. The fledgling RSP’s spectacular electoral show reflects deep public frustration with legacy parties such as the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). Even stalwarts like former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli suffered humiliating defeats. Balen himself defeated Oli by a huge margin, such was the intensity of voters’ anger against the established political elite.

Balen’s march has been remarkable. Having first gained prominence when he won the Kathmandu mayoral poll as an Independent in 2022, he has successfully channelled Gen Z frustration into a national political movement. His victory embodies the aspirations of Nepal’s youth, who mobilised through street protests and social media to demand an end to corruption, nepotism and misgovernance. Balen is poised to become Nepal’s youngest PM and its first Madhesi to occupy the coveted post. The mandate for change is unmistakable. Nepal has seen 14 governments in the past 18 years, with veteran leaders playing musical chairs for the PM’s post. The challenges before the new rulers are formidable: tackling corruption, reviving a struggling economy and ensuring political stability.

For India, the outcome carries significant strategic implications. Political tremors in Kathmandu have slowed down bilateral projects, even as pro-China leaders such as Oli have often struck a discordant note. If the RSP government pursues pragmatic diplomacy, Nepal stands to gain by reinforcing its traditional ties with India.