Kathmandu, 06 March (H.S.): Vote counting continues nationwide following Thursday's House of Representatives elections, with early trends signaling a youth-driven wave of change led by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).Initial leads show RSP ahead in 104 of 140 counted constituencies, with projections suggesting up to 120 seats in coming hours.
Analysts note this reflects Gen-Z voters and youth support challenging Nepal's traditional power structures.Party chief Ravi Lamichhane leads decisively in Chitwan-2, senior leader Balen Shah tops Jhapa-5 over KP Sharma Oli of CPN-UML, and Swarnim Wagle performs strongly in Tanahun-1.In Kathmandu, RSP candidates lead most areas, with Ranju Darshana declared winner from Kathmandu-1; the party dominates 14 of 15 capital seats and shows strength in Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Morang, and Jhapa.
Traditional parties lag: Nepali Congress won Mustang but leads only 12 seats, struggling to hold double digits; CPN-UML trails with eight leads. Nepal Communist Party holds nine early leads, with coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' safe in Rukum East, though co-chair Madhav Kumar Nepal falters in Rauthahat.
Overall trends point to seismic shifts in Nepal's politics, positioning RSP as the dominant force.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
