Jhapa/kathmandu, March 8 -- 5 was the most keenly-watched constituency in Nepal's March 5 elections. In this race, the widely popular Balendra Shah, the former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, was up against KP Sharma Oli, the former prime minister ousted by the Gen Z uprising back in September 2025.

The contest held a symbolic weight, anchoring the broader old vs new narrative-a septuagenarian former prime minister was battling a 35-year-old millennial. The animosity between the two was well known and had intensified after the deadly uprising that saw 77 unarmed people killed on Oli's watch. Ahead of elections, Shah had refused to debate Oli, saying he wouldn't share the stage with a "murderer".

Many expected a tight race. But as ...