India, March 8 -- Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen defeated former prime minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency by a huge margin, marking a major political upset. According to the vote count released by the Election Commission of Nepal, Shah received 68,348 votes, far surpassing Oli, who garnered 18,734 votes.

Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is on the brink of a landslide victory in the country's general election - the first since the Gen Z-led protests last year.

The election result reflects deep frustration with decades of political instability, corruption and youth unemployment. After years of Nepal's politics being dominated by a triumvirate of parties, voters have rung the bell...