Kathmandu, March 27 Balendra Shah 'Balen', the rapper-turned-politician who won Kathmandu's 2022 mayoral elections as an independent, has become a symbol of generational change, representing a break from Nepal's traditional political parties.
Known as 'Balen', a candidate for the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), he defeated four-time prime minister K P Sharma Oli, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) -- CPN-UML -- by a significant margin of around 50,000 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency, whose results were announced on March 7.
On Friday, the 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician not only became Nepal's youngest elected prime minister but also the first person from the Madhes region to hold the top executive position in the country.
Balen emerged as a popular choice to lead the interim government after Gen Z youth staged violent protests nationwide last September, protesting against corruption and a ban on social media.
However, he declined to lead the interim government, stating that he preferred to contest a full term in a parliamentary election.
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 implementing sweeping reforms and beautifying the city. In his resignation letter, Balen stated, "As the Mayor of Kathmandu, I have performed my duty to the best of my ability for the welfare of the city and its inhabitants."
Born in Kathmandu, Balen comes from a family originally from the Madhes province. His parents are Ram Narayan Shah, an Ayurved practitioner, and Dhruvadevi Shah, a homemaker. He developed a passion for music and poetry from a young age, and began rapping during his education.
After completing his Civil Engineering degree from Kathmandu, Balen obtained his Masters in Structural Engineering from the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Karnataka.
He married Sabina Kafle in 2018, and they have a daughter born in 2023.
Balen's official YouTube page (@BalenShah with 'Rapper, Lyricist, Music Composer' as his description) has over a million subscribers.
Balen released his first single song, 'Sadak Balak', in 2012, just a year before his matriculation. The very next year, he participated in a YouTube battle rap series, gaining widespread recognition among music lovers in Nepal.
Sudip Manandha, a young musician based in Kathmandu, who closely followed Balen as a rapper, said, "Balen resonated with thousands of young people through his rap songs, which often challenged the existing system in our society. He sang satirical songs highlighting social anomalies, exposing corruption, and criticizing political mismanagement."
This popularity likely contributed to his success in entering politics and winning the 2022 mayoral elections with his campaign slogan focused on 'change,' targeting young people, many of whom were his followers on social media and were frustrated with the traditional parties' political maneuvering.
Notably, when K P Sharma Oli banned social media in Nepal in 2025, Balen was among the prominent voices protesting this move.
Previously, months after winning as an independent, Balen was included in the 'Top 100 Emerging Leaders of 2023' by Time magazine, which highlighted how he used multiple social media platforms to "mobilize public anger against the status quo."
"In a city still recovering from the devastating 2015 earthquake, Shah's campaign promises were simple but offered much-needed solutions: better waste disposal and sanitation, safe drinking water, clean roads, and the preservation of cultural heritage alongside urban development," the magazine said.
Naveen Manandhar, ward chairman of ward 17 in the Kathmandu Metropolis, recalled the "good governance and transparency" that Balen introduced during his three-and-a-half-year tenure.
He listed Balen's achievements, including beautifying the capital by dismantling illegal structures, prioritizing health, education, and employment generation, and allocating specific numbers of free beds to poor people in different hospitals and health centres within the metropolis.
"Apart from that, Balen introduced skill-oriented extracurricular activities in schools within the Kathmandu Metropolis. Under his leadership, the Kathmandu Metropolis introduced vocational training in various areas, which benefited around 60,000 to 70,000 young people within a couple of years, helping them to secure employment in various fields," Manandhar said.
However, Balen's mayoral tenure also faced controversies. "He faced criticism for the widespread demolitions in the capital, and he was also accused of not sending a fire brigade when Gen Z protesters resorted to arson," said a critique.
Balen chose the Jhapa-5 constituency in eastern Nepal's Koshi province to challenge the four-time prime minister Oli, who is also the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist). While Balen represented the emerging youth force of Nepal, Oli represented the conservative old guard.
People identified Balen with his signature dark goggles and black blazer, but a small metal bell, the RSP symbol, which he carried to his political rallies and used during his speeches to warn the opposition, was also a distinctive feature.
Immediately after joining the RSP, Balen addressed a public meeting, calling it a 'Parivartan Udghosh Sabha' (Change Declaration Gathering) in Janakpur, and spoke in Maithili to highlight his connection with the Madhes province.
Expressing dissatisfaction that even after the introduction of federalism, power remained centralised in the capital city, Kathmandu, Balen said, "You should be travelling to Kathmandu to visit lord Pashupatinath or Swoyambhu Stupa, but not for government works."
This sentiment was reflected in the RSP's manifesto, called the 100-point commitment paper, which promised online government service delivery and a neutral, professional, and accountable public service system, disassociating bureaucracy from politics.