Nepal has a new prime minister-designate. The Rastriya Swatantra Party of Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old former civil engineer and hip-hop artist known simply as “Balen”, secured 182 seats in the 275-member lower house of parliament, according to the Election Commission, with 125 won directly and a further 57 through proportional representation.
The results were the country’s first election since last year’s youth-led uprising, which toppled the government of four-time Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli. Shah is set to become the first Madheshi prime minister in Nepal’s history.
The election result
Shah chose to contest the high-profile Jhapa-5 constituency, directly challenging former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in the latter’s own stronghold. In the March 5 general election, Shah defeated Oli with 68,348 votes to Oli’s 18,734 the highest vote total ever recorded in Nepal’s parliamentary election history, surpassing the previous record of 57,139 votes set by Oli himself in the same constituency in 2017.
The Nepali Congress finished second with 38 seats, while Oli’s Marxist party won just 25 seats. Oli publicly acknowledged the result. In a post on X, he congratulated Shah, writing: “Balen Babu, Congratulations to you for the victory. May your five-year tenure be smooth and successful.”
Who is Balen Shah
Born in Naradevi, Kathmandu on April 27, 1990, Shah earned a civil engineering undergraduate degree and a master’s in structural engineering. He was a nobody until 2013, when he became a rap sensation almost overnight.
He drew inspiration from American musicians Tupac Shakur and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
In May 2022, Shah ran for Kathmandu’s mayoral seat as an independent, relying heavily on a grassroots online campaign, and stunned the political establishment by defeating candidates fielded by the old guard.
As mayor, he live-streamed municipal meetings, overhauled traffic and waste management, and launched initiatives in education and healthcare. He also led high-profile demolition drives and enforced street vendor regulations, attracting both praise and criticism.
On 28 December 2025, Shah formally unified with the Rastriya Swatantra Party, resigning as Mayor of Kathmandu on 18 January 2026 to contest the general election as the party’s prime ministerial candidate.
The protests that opened the door
Nepal has had more than a dozen governments since 2008, when it abolished its 239-year-old monarchy and transitioned to a republic following a decades-long civil war. When Nepal erupted in popular protests against the government of then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in September 2025, Shah emerged as a high-profile backer of the movement.
His song Nepal Haseko [Nepal Smiling] accumulated more than 10 million YouTube views during the turmoil. Following the September 8 and 9 protests, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives and appointed Sushila Karki as caretaker Prime Minister.
The RSP’s campaign and mandate
In its manifesto, Shah’s RSP vowed to create 1.2 million jobs and reduce forced migration. The party also pledged to raise Nepal’s per capita income from $1,447 to $3,000, more than double the nation’s economy to $100 billion GDP, and provide healthcare insurance for the entire population all within five years.
The RSP ran a highly organised campaign backed by diaspora funding, particularly from Nepali communities in the United States. Shah’s Instagram account has over 1.2 million followers, while his Facebook page has 3.8 million.
What comes next
As prime minister, Shah is expected to distance himself from the legal controversies surrounding RSP co-founder Rabi Lamichhane, who faces charges of alleged misappropriation of funds in Nepal’s cooperative sector.
On foreign relations, Shah has expressed confidence in deepening “historic” Nepal-India ties and making them more “outcome-oriented.” Prime Minister Modi held a telephone conversation with Shah, conveying India’s commitment to mutual prosperity.
Analysts say much of Shah’s success will depend on the talent he surrounds himself with to overhaul a bureaucratic system long plagued by corruption.
About the Author
