India, March 8 -- Balendra Shah, known to most Nepalis simply as 'Balen' the rapper, has officially been elected to the country's House of Representatives from the Jhapa-5 constituency with 68,348 votes - the highest vote total ever recorded in Nepal's election history, surpassing the previous record set by the very man he defeated.

That man is Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, a four-time former prime minister and chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), who received just 18,734 votes in what had long been considered his political stronghold.

Till recently the mayor of Kathmandu, Balen Shah has led his centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to a majority in the direct parliamentary elections, and it may even cross ...