Rapper Balen Shah Runs for Nepal PM
Balen Shah, a rap star and former Kathmandu mayor, is running for prime minister of Nepal with support from young voters and fellow rappers. Shah's campaign is seen as a bid to shatter political paralysis and inject new energy into Nepal's leadership after a Gen Z uprising. Rappers are flocking to Jhapa to support the Gen Z candidate in the first polls since the youth movement.
Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old structural engineer, first gained political prominence as an independent candidate in 2022, winning the mayoral race for Kathmandu by a margin of over 23,000 votes. His tenure, which began in May 2022 and ended with his resignation in January 2026, was marked by both popular reforms and significant controversy. As mayor, Shah initiated live telecasts of municipal meetings to increase transparency and took on popular projects like improving waste management and reclaiming public land. However, he drew criticism for his heavy-handed methods, including using bulldozers to demolish structures he deemed illegal and his administration's persecution of street vendors. The "Gen Z uprising" of September 2025 that forms the backdrop of his campaign was a series of youth-led anti-corruption protests triggered by a government ban on 26 social media platforms. The demonstrations resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, the dissolution of the House of Representatives, and at least 76 deaths. Shah resigned from his mayoral post to join the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and is now contesting the March 5 general election from the Jhapa-5 constituency. He is directly challenging four-time prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli in a district long considered Oli's political stronghold. Under Nepal's parliamentary system, citizens do not vote directly for the prime minister. To become the head of government, a party or coalition must secure a majority of at least 138 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives. Shah's political career has also been marked by nationalist gestures and disputes. In 2023, he placed a "Greater Nepal" map in his office, which includes territories now part of India, causing a diplomatic stir. He has also had public conflicts with the federal government that led to administrative paralysis and months of unpaid wages for over 3,500 city employees.
