With Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigning during the virulent student-led "GenZ protests," focus has shifted towards Kathmandu's youthful mayor, Balendra Shah, as social media campaigns increasingly push him as a potential future leader of the Himalayan country.
Popularly known as "Balen," the 35-year-old is a rapper-turned-politician who has been the 15th mayor of Kathmandu since May 2022. Contesting as an independent, he became the first individual to occupy the post of the mayor without any political party support.
A professional engineer, Balen graduated with a degree in civil engineering and studied structural engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University in Karnataka, India. Prior to joining politics, Balen was a prominent figure in Nepal's underground hip-hop movement, and he employed his music to bring attention to corruption and social injustice.
Balen made his first grabs for national headlines in June 2023 when he prohibited the showing of Indian movies in Kathmandu due to a contentious dialogue in the film Adipurush.
Balen's Message to Nepali Youth
On Tuesday, Shah spoke to protesters on Facebook, calling on them to remain calm. He pointed out that their major demand — the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other ministers — had already been met.
He cautioned against any further damage to public and private property, asserting, "The loss of the nation's wealth is, in fact, a loss of our own property. It is now imperative that we all exercise restraint."
Shah's message is made at a time when nationwide "GenZ" protests are still snowballing, with youthful protesters calling for accountability in the face of corruption, restrictions on freedoms, and police brutality. Earlier clashes between security forces and protesters have already left at least 19 killed and over 500 wounded within and around the Federal Parliament and other parts of Kathmandu in the last two days.
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