- Nepal is counting votes in its first general elections since last year's protests toppled the government
- Rapper-politician Balendra Shah is leading KP Sharma Oli, 74, on his home turf in the Jhapa constituency
- Oli's CPN-UML and Gagan Thapa's Nepali Congress are also currently leading in some seats
Nepal is counting votes for the country's first general elections since deadly Gen Z protests toppled the prime minister KP Sharma Oli-led government last year.
According to the latest trends, rapper-turned-politician and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah is currently leading Oli, 74, on his home turf in the Jhapa constituency.
Shah, 35, drew large crowds, mostly young voters, in pre-poll rallies. Known as Balen, he joined the RSP, led by a former TV host-turned politician, Rabi Lamichhane, last December. He was an undeclared leader of the youngsters who led the protests against widespread corruption in September last year.
Balen also helped form the interim government of former Chief Justice Sushila Karki to oversee the vote.
Nepal Election Results
Vote counting is underway for 165 seats filled by direct election from a total of 275 in Nepal's lower house of parliament, while the rest are to be decided by a system of proportional representation.
Balen Shah's party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has so far reportedly won three seats -- Kathmandu 1, Kathmandu 7 and Kathmandu 8 -- and is ahead in over 50 constituencies for which leads were available.
KP Sharma Oli's Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) is leading in four seats, while Gagan Thapa's Nepali Congress, the country's oldest party, is ahead in six.
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About 60 per cent of the country's 19 million eligible voters had cast their votes during the elections to the House of Representatives on Thursday.
More than 3,400 candidates from 65 parties are in the fray in
India Keeping Eye On Nepal Election Results
As a close neighbour, India is closely watching the election results in Nepal.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal recently said that India has "consistently supported peace, progress and stability in Nepal".
"We look forward to working with the new government of Nepal to further build on the robust multifaceted ties between our two countries and peoples for mutual benefit," he said.
India had also provided logistical supplies for Nepal's elections.
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