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Kathmandu Mayor Balen Resigns From Post, Aiming Prime Minister Ship After March Election

Former Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, also known as Balen, rings a traditional bell after arriving at the party office of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in Kathmandu, Nepal, on January 18, 2026, formally joining the party to contest the March election. The rapper turned mayor is presented as the next Prime Minister by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). The former rapper, who wins the local election of 2022 from the Nepali capital, also assumes the charge of senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). On December 28, Balen strikes a deal with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) where it is agreed that he will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate from the party. As per the 7-point agreement, RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane continues as the party's central chairman, while Shah is presented as the party's parliamentary leader after the elections and its prime ministerial candidate. The RSP emerges as the fourth largest political force, winning 21 seats in the dissolved House of Representatives within a year of its establishment. With candidacy filing scheduled for January 20, Shah prepares to contest from the Jhapa-5 constituency in the March 5 elections, with the declared aim of beating four-time prime minister and CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli in his own constituency. Balen promises to institutionalize the agenda raised by September's Gen-Z movement. The electoral battle in Jhapa-5 shapes up to be an intriguing contest this time. (Photo by Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto)

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