Region 
 

Kathmandu

Nepal’s Gamble

Nepal’s Generation Z has received its mandate—what’s next? Can the RSP deliver and transform this landslide victory into a lasting legacy?

By Dr. Pushpa R. Joshi | April 2026

The Gen-Z uprising-backed election yielded incredible results in Nepal, with the alternative claiming political force - the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) - claiming almost two-thirds of the electoral majority. In fact, RSP is just one seat of the illustrious two-thirds majority in a 275-member House of Representatives (HoR). A two-thirds majority is an extremely rare achievement in a parliamentary democracy.

In an electoral system with participatory representation (PR), like in Nepal, the RSP’s electoral achievement is astonishing. The post-election analysis reveals that the people have expressed anticipation and support for RSP, expecting it to address the issues raised during the Gen-Z uprising.
The ball is now solely in RSP’s court. Hence, it is apparent that the RSP responds to people’s endorsement and works exclusively towards people’s well-being. To that end, the RSP and its leadership should establish a task force to develop strategies to implement the promises made during their election campaign. These include preparing a dialogue paper on constitutional amendments within three months, reducing the number of ministries, initiating investigations into the assets of public office holders since 1990, reimbursing the pending savings of small-scale cooperative depositors within 100 days, and depoliticizing universities, among other commitments.

The landslide electoral victory of RSP can be credited to only one individual: Balendra Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and RSP’s proposed prime ministerial candidate. The rapper-turned-politician, Balendra Shah, has remained a somewhat enigmatic political figure, as he rarely appeared at public events or interacted with the media during his tenure as mayor. Although Shah was unable to fulfill his major pre-election commitments as mayor, the public responded positively to his visible, albeit cosmetic, achievements. Hence, Balendra Shah was perceived as the poster boy of good governance, and the people sensed him as the savior of the nation.

Until a few months before the election, Balendra Shah remained a vocal critic of the RSP and its leadership. People had expected that Shah would establish his own political party to contest the federal election. The stakeholders of the Gen-Z uprising had already expressed their confidence in him during the movement. In fact, the Gen-Z protesters had called on Shah to take charge of the nation after the incumbent prime minister and his ministers fled following the storming of their official residences by violent protesters. Hence, it was believed that Balendra Shah’s political outfit would perform well in the election.

Unlike people’s speculations, the tables turned just before the election, and two politically opposite poles - Balendra Shah’s team and RSP - converged together to form a sturdy political force. This provided a fresh gust of wind to the deteriorating reputation of RSP that was carrying the fraudulent baggage of its chairman, Rabi Lamichhane.

Despite the current government’s soft corner for RSP and Lamichhane, the party’s political campaigning was not picking up pace due to Lamichhane’s dubious reputation and internal party conflicts. However, the integration of Balendra Shah and his team into the RSP abruptly elevated the RSP’s political standing. The final result of the election shows that this strategy seems to have worked extremely well.


Pre-election reports indicated that voters were overwhelmingly focused on a single figure—Balendra Shah. This was also evident during his extravagant roadshows across the country. In many cases, the respective RSP candidates were of secondary importance to voters, as Balendra Shah himself remained their primary focus. Hence, whoever the candidate was, they were accepted as Balendra Shah’s candidate, and the people poured their votes only on RSP’s symbol on the ballot paper.

People have given their verdict. Now, this is the responsibility of RSP to work for the people. The notion that a new, alternative political force is needed to steer Nepal towards prosperity requires justification. However, the majority of elected RSP parliamentarians were previously associated with traditional parties. In addition, many convicted criminals and individuals with dubious morals have also been elected to parliament. This, however, presents an opportunity for these individuals to restore their reputation and make a fresh start.

As authority entails accountability, RSP has a thorny path to follow after its landslide victory. Nepal’s socio-politico-economic status has plummeted to its lowest point at the moment. The state machinery, including the bureaucracy and the judiciary, remains old-fashioned. The morale of the security forces is at its lowest ever after the trauma they suffered during the Gen-Z uprising. The people seem divided by their political beliefs. Moreover, partisan politics is entrenched throughout state institutions. Over that, the RSP does not have participation in the upper house, as well as in provincial and local governments. Hence, RSP faces a mammoth challenge and, at the same time, a great opportunity to reform Nepal. It can be achieved only through good governance, meritocracy, and the leaders’ willpower.

With people’s overwhelming electoral endorsement, RSP has only one course of action - to deliver. The People of Nepal have great expectations from the RSP, as traditional political parties have repeatedly betrayed them for many decades. However, with two exclusively opposite careerist and populist characters - Balendra Shah and Rabi Lamichhane - at the leadership, it would be interesting to see how RSP proceeds further.

The endorsement RSP has received is the result of the incompetence of traditional parties. The initial days of the government will likely indicate the direction in which it intends to govern. Backed by overwhelming public support, the RSP is well-positioned to pursue reforms in Nepal’s governance system. Nevertheless, the journey ahead is unlikely to be smooth, as significant challenges remain. It remains to be seen how the RSP and its leadership will navigate the obstacles that are likely to emerge at every step in the coming days.

Read More