KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is heading toward a historic result in the March 5 House of Representatives elections, leading in at least 44 seats across the country as vote counting continued Friday, with the party dominating every constituency in the Kathmandu Valley and mounting serious challenges against established heavyweights in the districts.

The surge, widely attributed to the Gen Z movement that shook Nepal's political establishment last September, has seen the party, which contested its first general election only in 2022, emerge as the single most dramatic story of this election cycle.

Ranju Darshana became the party's first confirmed winner of the count so far, securing Kathmandu Constituency-1 with 15,455 votes. Nepali Congress candidate Prabal Thapa Chhetri finished a distant second with 6,364 votes, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party candidate Rabindra Mishra took third with 3,972. The Office of the Returning Officer is yet to make a formal announcement.

The RSP's lead across the rest of the Valley tells a consistent story. Sasmit Pokharel leads Kathmandu with 5,985 votes against NC's Pradip Paudel with 1,840. Shishir Khanal leads Kathmandu-6 with 5,771 votes. Ganesh Parajuli leads Kathmandu-7 with 4,677 votes. 

Biraj Bhakta Shrestha leads Kathmandu-8 with 7,617 votes. Pradip Bista leads Kathmandu-10 with 5,765 votes. In Bhaktapur, Rukesh Ranjit leads Constituency-1 with 3,452 votes and Rajiv Khatri leads Constituency-2 with 3,060 votes.

Outside the Valley, the results carry even greater symbolic weight. In Jhapa-5, RSP's Balendra Shah, the incumbent Kathmandu Mayor who chose to contest parliament, was leading with 6,090 votes against CPN-UML president and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli's 2,087 as of Friday morning, a result that would rank among the most stunning upsets in recent Nepali electoral history if it holds. 

Rabi Lamichhane leads in Chitwan-2, and Sobita Gautam leads Chitwan-3 against Renu Dahal, daughter of former prime minister and Nepali Communist Party coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal. In Jhapa-2, Indira Rana Magar leads with 1,599 votes against CPN-UML's Devraj Ghimire with 275.

Votes cast on Thursday are still being tallied at counting centres across the country, and all figures remain preliminary pending formal declarations by returning officers. 

Further results are expected through Friday and into the weekend.