The counting of votes for the House of Representatives elections is underway. According to the results till Friday evening, the National Independent Party (NIP) has taken the lead in most areas.

International news organizations have also given priority to the election held on Thursday and the subsequent preliminary results in their news. Most of the published news reports have mentioned the NIP's lead in the vote count and some have even mentioned senior NIP leader Balendra Shah (Balen) as the future Prime Minister of Nepal.

American news organization CNN has written a news under the title 'Former rapper Balen's party leads in Nepal's preliminary vote count'. '35-year-old Shah is the former mayor of the capital Kathmandu and is leading in the race to become the future Prime Minister of Nepal,' CNN wrote. 

Indian daily The Economic Times has also published a news on Balen under the title 'Who is Balen Shah?' Similarly, India Today has stated that Maithili-speaking Balen is a Madhesi identity of Nepal. The newspaper mentions that he transformed Kathmandu during his time as mayor.

His rise has been analyzed as a generational change in Nepali politics. Bangladeshi media outlet The Daily Star has mentioned that Balen's reputation in Nepal is like a 'rock star'.

International media seems to have given the election a lot of attention and priority. Most of the news has interpreted it as a mandate against corruption, unemployment, and misrule. In addition, some media outlets have discussed the popularity of Balendra Shah (Balen), a senior leader of the National Independence Party, as a possible prime minister.

The Associated Press (AP) noted that the election in Nepal was held peacefully and noted that Balendra has emerged as an influential figure.

AP has analyzed that the post-election government will have to address the demands of the Gen-G movement, fight corruption, and balance relations with two powerful neighbors, India and China.

The British media outlet BBC has stated that corruption, economic hardship, and inequality have become the main issues in this election.

This is why 77 people died during the Bhadau protests, according to a BBC news report, which is particularly focused on the clash between Balendra and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5. ‘If Balendra wins, it will shake up Nepal’s dysfunctional governance system. Nepal has seen many coalition governments for more than three decades.

These governments were mainly dominated by three parties. Two of them are communists,’ the BBC wrote, ‘Can the new, energetic Gen-G generation convince the rest of the people to shape the country’s future, or will the heavyweights who have been at the center of politics for decades continue to wield power? The election will test this.’

The British media outlet Guardian has published a news report titled ‘Nepalese vote in a powerful youth campaign against the old.’

‘There is a wave of young candidates in this election. They have pledged to improve Nepal's weak economy, challenge decades-old leaders and provide stability and security,' the news said.

Reuters has written a news story under the headline 'Voters seek change after youth leadership'. It mentions that unemployment and corruption are rampant in the agricultural country of Nepal.

UML, Congress and NCP have been at the center of Nepali politics for the last three decades, and it has changed governments 32 times in 35 years. 'However, the main contender in this election is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which has a three-year history, and has fielded rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah as its prime ministerial candidate,' the Reuters news said.

Bloomberg also published a news story under the headline 'Nepal's young rapper Balen Shah in battle with old leaders'. German media outlet DW has published a news story under the headline 'Gen-G in hope of real political reform'.

But it also includes the fact that the number of Gen-G candidates in this election is very low. ‘Only about 5 percent of candidates from this age group are in the election,’ the news article reads, ‘Experts have pointed out that structural obstacles, a political culture that benefits the elderly and a view that the youth are inexperienced in providing leadership have created this situation.’

For the past few days, media outlets including Al Jazeera, Financial Times, CBC News, Times of India and others have continuously analyzed Balen’s popularity among Nepal’s youth. During the silent period in Nepal, American media outlets such as CNN and World Press Journal had published news saying that Balen was a strong contender for the post of prime minister.

‘Some have seen this as an opportunity to sideline the old parties. Which is a possible result of the youth-led movement. Others are arguing that foreign powers are orchestrating the protests to weaken the legitimate party,’ the feature published on the Russian state media RT states.

The Telegraph UK has published a news article titled ‘Gen-G in favor of authoritarian ex-rappers’. The news article mentions that Balendra wrote to the poor living on the riverbanks after becoming the mayor of Kathmandu. ‘If he can misuse the metropolitan police like this, what will he do to the Nepal Police? Freedom of expression may be at stake,’ Majid Ansari, 25, who is studying law in Kathmandu, told The Telegraph.

The Telegraph also sought feedback from political analyst Tulanarayan Sah. ‘Balendra has hijacked Gen-G. The Gen-G campaign has become history. Now it is a game of different power centers,’ Sah said.   (With the help of the agency)

Which media say what?

CNN: Former rapper Balen's party leads in Nepal's initial vote count BBC: If Balen wins, Nepal's

governance system will become inactive Reuters: Voters seek change after youth leadership's performance

Guardian: Wave of young candidates, Rappers turned politicians Balen Shah leads as PM candidate