On Sunday, Kathmandu’s mayor, Balendra Shah, most people just call him Balen, got the nod as the prime ministerial candidate after he and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) teamed up for Nepal’s March 5 elections. Balen truly became a Gen Z icon after the protests last September that led to the downfall of KP Sharma Oli’s government.
Who is Balen Shah?
He’s a rapper, a structural engineer, and now a politician. At first, people knew him for his music. He studied civil engineering in Nepal, then got his master’s in structural engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University in India.
Later, he ran as an independent for mayor of Kathmandu and won by a landslide.
Most mayors don’t get much attention beyond their own cities. Balen’s different. He’s made headlines outside Nepal too. For example, in June 2023, he banned Indian films in Kathmandu after a controversy over a line from the movie Adipurush.
Will Balen Shah be the next Nepal PM?
The new deal with RSP didn’t happen overnight. After a long round of talks, Balen’s team and RSP hashed out a seven-point agreement. Balen, at just 35, will lead the parliamentary party and be their prime ministerial candidate. Rabi Lamichhane stays on as RSP chair.
Balen and his group will now run under RSP’s ‘Bell’ symbol, keeping the party’s name, flag, and symbol untouched.
Both sides say they’re committed to the anti-corruption movement pushed by young people, and they promise to address the demands raised by Gen Z, including those hurt in the protests. With this alliance, a wave of young supporters looks set to join RSP.
People are calling this a turning point, a real push to unite Nepal’s youth-led political groups, the same ones that powered the September movement and brought down the old guard.
