Balendra Shah popularly known as Balen Shah is a well known Nepali politician who started his journey from music to engineering to politcs. Balendra Shah has been a memeber of a party named 'Rastriya Swatantra Party(RSP)'. Recently, Balendra resigned from his position as 'The Mayor of Kathmandu'(30th May 2022--18th January 2026) and is on a run for the postion of 'Prime Minister of Nepal' as a candidate.
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Balen Shah
Balen Shah
Born
27 April 1990
Birthplace
Naradevi, Kathmandu, Nepal
Nationality
Nepali
Occupation
Politician, Rapper, Civil Engineer
Years active
2011–present
Political position
Former Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City
Term as Mayor
2022–2026
Political affiliation
Rastriya Swatantra Party
Known for
Tenure as Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and public engagement
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Education
Shah received Bachelor's Degree in civil engineering from Himalayan Whitehouse International College.also received a master's degree in structural engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University in Karnataka, India.Balen Shah has been awarded a KU Researcher's Fellowship for his PhD studies in Civil Engineering at Kathmandu University and his topic of study is the "Conservation of Newa Heritage Structure to promote Tourism and Economy”.
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Musical Career
Before politics, Balen Shah was mostly known as a rapper in Nepal. He used music to talk about social issues and things young people feel every day. Many of his songs spoke openly about frustration with politics and system. Because of this, a lot of young listeners connected with his music. One of his songs, Nepal Haseko, became popular very fast and reached YouTube trending within a few hours after release. This showed that his voice through music had already reached many people before his political entry.
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International Recognition
Balen Shah was included in the 2023 TIME 100 Next list of emerging global leaders recognized for shaping the future.
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Controversies
Shah has often clashed with the national government and major political parties over authority and governance issues. One widely reported incident involved strong remarks after a security check on his wife’s vehicle, followed by protests such as temporarily stopping waste collection from Singha Durbar.
His style of city management has drawn both support and criticism, including the demolition of illegal structures, removal of street vendors, and efforts to uncover the historic Tukucha River.
In 2023, Shah placed a map of “Greater Nepal” inside his office, an act that led to objections from India and sparked debate in Nepal amid regional tensions related to historical borders.
Shah stopped Indian films in Kathmandu for some time after a dialogue in the movie Adipurush created anger about where Sita was born. In Nepal, this topic is very sensitive for people.
During the Gen-Z protests, student groups said the city did not protect heritage places properly. Shah did not agree and said city workers were on duty all the time to keep things under control.
