Balendra Shah is 43rd Prime Minister of Nepal

KATHMANDU: Balendra Shah (Balen) has been appointed as the 43rd Prime Minister of Nepal. President Ramchandra Paudel has appointed Shah, the leader of the parliamentary party of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), as head of government.

President Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shah shortly, in accordance with Article 76(1) of the Constitution of Nepal, as the leader of the majority parliamentary party.

The newly appointed prime minister was elected for Jhapa Constituency No. 5 in the House of Representatives election held on March 5. He defeated CPN (UML) Chairperson KP Sharma Oli by a large margin.

Shah was elected as Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City in the 2022 local elections. He resigned from the position of mayor on  January 18, 2026, to contest the HoR elections.

During his tenure as mayor, Shah made a significant contribution to the preservation of Newa structures to promote tourism and the economy. He also led urban governance and development programmes, infrastructure improvement, heritage conservation, and service‑delivery enhancement. Shah contributed to removing illegal structures and improving urban management in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, and he played a role in the 2025 post-earthquake reconstruction work in various areas of Nepal.

With experience in bridge, road and building design and construction, Shah has placed special emphasis on heritage conservation, structural conservation, economic development through tourism and traditional Newa architecture.

Shah, who has also gained fame as a rap artist, completed an MTech in structural engineering in India and graduated in civil engineering from Purbanchal University. He has composed more than two dozen rap songs that focus on anti-corruption, expectations of good governance, and youth and social issues. After the election to the second Constituent Assembly, he expressed his concern for the country by releasing the song Ma Nepal Haseko Herna Chahanchhu (I want to see Nepal smile).

Shah is the son of Ayurvedic physician Dr Ram Narayan Shah and Dhruva Devi Shah. He was born on Baisakh 14, 2047 BS (April 27, 1990) in Naradevi, Kathmandu. His ancestral home is Ekadara, Mahottari.

The responsibility of fulfilling the mandate of the Gen Z movement now rests with Shah after he supported the movement on September 8 and 9. 

He must fulfil the new generation’s aspiration for change.

(With inputs from RSS)