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Nepal's Former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was arrested on Saturday, a day after the newly formed government of Balendra Shah implemented the probe commission report on the Gen Z protest that rocked the nation last year. Oli, also CPN-UML chair, was arrested at the Gundu area of Bhaktapur district, 12 km east of Kathmandu, early Saturday morning, according to the police. Former Home Minister and Nepali Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak has also been arrested from his residence at Katunje of Suryabinayak Municipality in Bhaktapur district, police added. Both Oli and Lekhak have been arrested on charges of their involvement in suppressing the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9 last year, in which 76 people, including around two dozen youths, were killed. The probe commission formed to investigate the incident surrounding the Gen Z movement has recommended legal action against Oli and Lekhak, among others, under criminal offence. Nepal's newly formed government, led by Balendra Shah,
A rapper, a structural engineer, Gen Z icon and the youngest democratically elected prime minister of Nepal, Balen Shan, a man of many firsts, created history on Friday after taking the oath to serve at the top executive post of the Himalayan nation. The 35-year-old is also the first person from the Madhes region to become the 47th prime minister of the nation. Balen's unique style and ability to connect to the Gen Z of the country, which toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government in September last year in a violent protest, made him the lead runner in the election. He defeated four-time prime minister Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) -- CPN-UML -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in Jhapa-5 constituency. Named among the 'Top 100 Emerging Leaders of 2023' by Time magazine, Balen rose to fame while working as the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor. He is credited with implementing sweeping reform programmes
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah 'Balen,' took oath as Nepal's democratically elected prime minister on Friday, around six months after the K P Sharma Oli-led government was ousted in a Gen-Z protest that shook the nation. The 35-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader was sworn in at a ceremony at the President's Office in Sheetal Niwas at the auspicious time of 12.34 pm. Balen, also an engineer, is the youngest person to assume the office in the Himalayan nation, and also the first person from the Madhes region to hold the top executive post. He was appointed as the 47th prime minister by President Ram Chandra Paudel in accordance with Article 76 (1) of the constitution earlier in the day. He is the first democratically elected prime minister to be sworn in since the coalition government led by former prime minister Oli was ousted in September last year, after the youth-led Gen Z protest against corruption, nepotism, and a social media ban escalated into violence. A
By 2030, Gen Z will comprise 27 per cent of India's population and will command USD 1.3 trillion in consumption, reshaping consumer markets with a focus on experiences, sustainability and digital convenience, according to a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants. The report, titled "Gen Z: Defining Trends, Influencing Spends," analyses how this demographic, born between 1997 and 2012, is prioritising value-driven choices. "Gen Z will occupy a greater share of the population, and command USD 1.3 trillion in consumption by 2030. This generation shuns labels, valuing inclusivity, self-expression and authenticity. Through this phase of self-discovery, they prioritise aesthetics and new experiences -- all of which reflect in their behaviour as consumers," the report noted. Gen Z's emphasis on aesthetics is evident in their engagement with the beauty and personal care (BPC) sector. By 2030, this group is projected to account for nearly USD 19 billion share of India's BPC market. One in t
The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is heading towards a two-thirds majority in Nepal's parliamentary polls, securing 124 seats under direct voting and nearly 40 lakh votes under the proportionate-voting system as of 7 am on Monday. The RSP has won 124 seats and is leading in one seat, whereas the Nepali Congress (NC) has won 17 seats and is leading in one seat. The CPN-UML has won eight seats and is leading in one seat and the NCP has won seven seats. The Shram Sanskriti Party has won three seats, the RPP and Independent candidates have won one seat each. So far, the results for 161 of the 165 seats have been declared under direct voting. The outcome on the remaining four seats is expected to be declared in the afternoon. Under proportionate voting, the RSP has secured 37,89,803 votes, the NC 12,75,594, the CPN-UML 10,79,726, the NCP 5,55,300, the Shram Sanskriti Party 2,65,398, the Janata Samajwadi Party 1,16,463 and the Rastriya Parivartan Party has bagged 1,08,084 votes. Nepal i
Balendra Shah 'Balen', the rapper-turned-politician who won Kathmandu's 2022 mayoral polls as an independent, has become the face of a generational change, symbolising a break from Nepal's traditional parties. Popular as 'Balen,' the prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) defeated four-time prime minister K P Sharma Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) -- CPN-UML -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in Jhapa-5 constituency on Saturday. The 35-year-old engineer was a popular choice to lead the interim government after Gen Z youths toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government in September last year, following two-day nationwide violent protests against corruption and a ban on social media. But Balen declined then to lead the interim government, saying he would rather head the government by contesting the parliamentary election for a full term. In January, he joined the newly formed Rastri
RSP's Balendra Shah on Saturday defeated four-time PM K P Sharma Oli by a huge margin and set to form the next government in Nepal, decimating traditional political parties in the first general elections since last year's violent Gen Z protests demanding generational change and corruption-free regime. Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah 'Balen,' the prime ministerial candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) defeated Oli, the chair of Nepal's legacy party, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) -- CPN-UML -- by a huge margin of about 50,000 votes in Jhapa-5 constituency. Balen, 35, secured 68,348 votes against 74-year-old Oli's 18,734, the Election Commission (EC) said. The RSP, which was formed in 2022 by Ravi Lamichhane, has won 62 seats out of the 78 seats for which results have been declared by 6:30 pm, according to the Election Commission (EC). RSP's seats include a clean sweep in all 10 constituencies of Kathmandu district even as it is leading in 60
Rastriya Swotantra Party is leading in 23 seats, while Nepali Congress and CPN-UML are leading in three each as per the preliminary election results. Vote counting started late on Thursday night, according to the Election Commission. Counting is expected to be completed by Friday night. Nepal witnessed about 60 per cent voter turnout during the elections to the House of Representatives on Thursday - the country's first polls since violent Gen Z protests that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led coalition government last year.
Nepalese on Thursday morning started to reach polling booths to cast their vote in crucial general elections, the first since a violent Gen Z-led protest that toppled the K P Sharma Oli-led government last year. More than 18.9 million eligible Nepalese will be exercising their franchise to elect the 275-member House of Representatives from among the 3,406 candidates vying for 165 seats under direct voting, and 3,135 candidates vying for 110 seats through proportionate voting. The voting started at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. The counting will start immediately after the ballot boxes are collected. Addressing a press meet here on the eve of the polls, Acting Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari on Wednesday had said that all preparations for the election had been completed and urged voters to participate actively and enthusiastically in the democratic exercise.