Rapper Balendra Shah on track to be next Nepal PM

With most seats decided in last week's general election in Nepal the party of rapper and ex-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah is on course to win a landslide majority in parliament.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party's win marks the first time in decades that a single party has garnered a majority in Nepal which has a two-system format that makes it difficult for any one party to win outright, reports BBC.

The 35-year-old Shah also defeated former PM KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa 5 - traditionally a safe seat for Oli - paving the way for him to become the next prime minister.

Gagan Thapa, president of the country's largest party, Congress, has also lost his seat.

Shah's supporters are celebrating on the streets, cheering and ringing bells - his election symbol.

The vote on 5 March came six months after youth anger and disillusionment over elite rule, nepotism, corruption and inequality sparked deadly protests that toppled Oli's government.