Balendra Shah Nepal’s rising star in politics

Balendra Shah ‘Balen’ the rapper-turnedpolitician 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.

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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 Marxist-Leninist) -- 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 Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by Ravi Lamichhane, and was soon declared the party's prime ministerial candidate.

As the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor, Balen is credited with sweeping reform programmes and the beautification of the metropolis.