A new Nepali party led by an ex-rapper is set for a landslide win in parliamentary election

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Balendra Shah, foreground, former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, receives his victory certificate after defeating former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli of the Communist Party of NepalUnified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) in Jhapa, about 267 miles (430 kilometers) southeast of Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Umesh Karki)