Rastriya Swatantra Party's Ranju Neupane (Darshana) has secured a victory in the Kathmandu-1 parliamentary constituency, according to the final vote tally. Neupane received 15,455 votes

Ranju came into the national spotlight early, contesting the Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayoral election at just 21 years old, according to The Himalayan Times.

Ranju began her political involvement in 2013 at age 17, when she joined the Bibeksheel Nepali Party. In 2017, at 22, she ran for mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City with the campaign slogan "Let's make Kathmandu the most beautiful city in the world." 

Born in March 1996 and raised in Kathmandu by a single mother, Darshana says her upbringing shaped her resilience and commitment to social justice. Her mother supported the family through tailoring and childcare work to ensure her education despite financial hardship.

Darshana holds a Bachelor's degree in Development Studies from Kathmandu University and a Master's degree in Political Science from Tribhuvan University. She has also completed a postgraduate diploma in counselling psychology.

Two decades ago, there were massive rallies and nationwide strikes in Nepal after King Gyanendra took direct control of the country in February 2005, dismissing the government and suspending civil liberties. He imposed a state of emergency.

He said it was necessary to defeat the Maoist insurgency, a 10-year movement that had already killed over 13,000 people. But the move had the opposite effect. As political leaders were put under house arrest and media freedoms were restricted, many felt they were being robbed of their democratic rights.

Initial vote counts from across Nepal show the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) taking a strong lead in 47 constituencies, leaving other parties far behind. 

The CPN-UML and Nepali Congress are each ahead in five constituencies, while the Nepali Communist Party leads in three and smaller parties in two, Kathmandu Post reported.

Thirty years ago, a small faction of Nepal's communist movement launched what it called a "People's War." The attacks, starting on February 13, 1996, took place in four different parts of the country. 

At the time, newspapers reported them as minor law-and-order incidents. Few imagined that the assault led by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) would last a decade and alter the Nepali state.

Koirala family

This is one of Nepal's oldest political dynasties. The Koirala family has produced multiple party leaders and prime ministers over the decades.

Deuba-Rana Family

Another dominant force within the Nepali Congress is the Deuba-Rana family. Party veteran and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Member of Parliament (MP).

Dahal Family

In the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), the role of party chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, widely known as Prachanda, remains central. 

Thapa (KC) Family

In the Nepali Congress, the Thapa (KC) family is another force to reckon with. Arjun Narasingha KC is a former minister and a senior leader. 

When rapper-turned-engineer Balendra "Balen" Shah won the 2022 local elections to become Mayor of Kathmandu, it marked a shift in Nepal's politics. Shah defeated candidates from major parties such as the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal.

Shah's victory was not an ordinary one; it marked a turning point in Nepal's political culture. From being an underdog in the 2021 Kathmandu mayoral race to now a top leader, Shah's rise in national politics is nothing short of meteoric.

Vote counting in Nepal's Syangja-2 has been delayed after a dispute arose over 171 ballots that were found without the polling officer's signature. The unsigned ballots were discovered at the Baljyoti School polling centre in Waling Municipality's ward 10, prompting objections from political parties, Kathmandu post reported.

Officials and representatives from various parties are currently holding discussions at the District Administration Office to settle the matter.

Rastriya Swatantra Party's Ranju Neupane (Darshana) has secured a victory in the Kathmandu-1 parliamentary constituency, according to the final vote tally.

Neupane received 15,455 votes, well ahead of Nepali Congress candidate Prabal Thapa, who finished with 6,364 votes, Kathmandu Post reported.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Rabindra Mishra, who had narrowly missed victory in the past two elections, came in third with 3,972 votes.

For KP Sharma Oli, this is more than just another election. At 73, he is attempting to regain his position as a central figure in Nepalese politics and as the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML).

Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Ranju Neupane (Darshana) is on the verge of winning as vote counting nears completion on Friday morning. 

According to Chief Returning Officer Churaman Khadka, ballots from only 13 polling centres are still left to be tallied, Kathmandu Post reported.

"Votes from 44 centres have already been counted," he said, adding that the final count should be completed within the next two hours.

Out of the 23,227 votes counted so far, Neupane has secured 12,842, while her closest contender, Nepali Congress candidate Prabal Thapa, has received 5,216 votes.

Nepal uses a mixed electoral system, which means voters cast two separate ballots on election day.

First ballot

In the first ballot, the country is divided into 165 constituencies. Under Article 84(1) of the Constitution of Nepal, the country is divided into single-member constituencies.

This means voters choose one candidate from their local constituency, and the one who gets the highest number of votes wins. This system is called First-Past-The-Post (FPTP).

Second ballot

Apart from the 165 members elected directly, the remaining 110 members of Nepal's House of Representatives are chosen through the Proportional Representation (PR) system. The entire country acts as one single constituency for this vote.

Before the voting day, each political party submits a closed list of candidates to the Election Commission of Nepal. Seats are distributed to parties based on the percentage of votes they receive nationwide.

In Kathmandu-10, Pradeep Bista of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is leading, the Kathmandu Post reported. He secured 6,660 votes, followed by Himal Karki of the Nepali Congress (1,348), Binod Shrestha of the CPN-UML with 1,001 votes and Rupa Maharjan Shrestha of the Nepali Communist Party with 436 votes.

In Kathmandu-8, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has taken a commanding lead. Out of the 11,552 votes tallied so far, Shrestha has secured 7,617 votes, according to Kathmandu Post.

His competitors, Sapana Rajbhandari of the Nepali Congress received 890 votes and Suman Sayami of the CPN-UML secured 847 votes. 

In the latest vote count for Kathmandu-7, Ganesh Parajuli of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has secured 4,677 votes, leaving his closest rival, Prakash Shrestha of the CPN-UML, trailing with just 904 votes, Kathmandu Post reported.

Pramod Hari Guragain from the Nepali Congress is in third place with 720 votes, followed by the Nepal Communist Party's Basant Prasad Manandhar at 619. 

In the early stages of the vote count for Nepal's Jhapa-2 constituency, Indira Rana Magar, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, has established a firm lead. 

According to the latest figures, Rana Magar has secured 2,965 votes, positioning her well ahead of the former Speaker, Devraj Ghimire, who currently has 1,147 votes. Meanwhile, Sarita Prasain of the Nepali Congress is trailing closely behind Ghimire in third place with 1,125 votes, Kathmandu Post reported.

The newly-formed Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP) has won one seat and is leading in another 36 while the Nepali Congress is ahead on five, the CPN (UML) on three and the Nepali Communist Party on one, according to preliminary results in 46 seats where counting is in progress.

Nepal witnessed about 60 per cent voter turnout during the elections to the House of Representatives on Thursday - the country's first polls since violent Gen Z protests that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government last year.

The RSP has won the Kathmandu 1 constituency with its candidate Ranju Darshana winning by a "huge margin", according to RSP central committee member R K Dhungana.

Ranju secured more than 10,000 votes, almost double than the nearest rival, Prabal Thapa Chhetri of the Nepali Congress, Dhungana said.

(PTI)

Balendra Shah, who drew large crowds, mostly young voters, in pre-poll rallies, is leading KP Sharma Oli, 74, on his home turf in the Jhapa constituency.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has established a dominant early lead in all three constituencies of the Kaski district. As of Friday morning, RSP candidates are significantly outperforming rivals from the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, Kathmandu Post reported.

Rastriya Swatantra Party is leading in 23 seats, while Nepali Congress and CPN-UML are leading in three each as per the preliminary election results.

Vote counting started late on Thursday night, according to the Election Commission.

Counting is expected to be completed by Friday night.

(PTI)

Nepal's interim prime minister Sushila Karki urged patience as the country awaits clarity on the next government, saying that the interim setup will work toward a swift handover, noting that the nation's youth have "huge expectations" from the incoming government.

"Lets see what kind of government will be formed, whether there will be coalition or a single party government. We will try for quick handover because youths have huge expectations with the new government," Karki told BBC.

Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has stressed that the election must help restore stability and democratic order in Nepal, while expressing confidence that his party would secure a strong mandate in the General Elections 2026.

Oli, who is the Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), said the election carries the responsibility of reinforcing peace and ensuring citizens can continue their daily activities without fear.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Oli said, "This election has to maintain peace and order and ensure the public that normalcy is back in the nation so that people can continue their business and activities without fear or restraints."

He added that the polls should help reinstate democracy and bring the country back onto a stable democratic path.

"This election should reinstate the Loktantra, and anarchic as well as violent activities should be put to an end. It should again bring the country back to the democratic track and lead the nation and the public to the path of stability," he added.

(ANI)

Early vote counting has placed the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) firmly in the lead across 34 constituencies, far outpacing all other political parties. The CPN-UML follows with early leads in five constituencies, while the Nepali Congress holds leads in two, and the Nepali Communist Party in one, The Kathmandu Post reported

Among the frontrunners are KP Sharma Oli's Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), Sher Bahadur Deuba's Nepali Congress, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal's CPN (Maoist Centre).

The newly formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) led by former rapper Balendra Shah, who was also the mayor of Kathmandu, is also posing a tough challenge to the seasoned political parties.

About 60 per cent turnout was registered during the voting on Thursday.

Nepal will shortly count votes for the country's first general elections since violent Gen Z protests toppled the KP Sharma Oli-led coalition government last year.