His songs fuelled a protest generation. Now the former Kathmandu mayor is taking on ex-PM Oli and asking voters to imagine him running countryKATHMANDU: Everybody wants a selfie with Balendra Shah.In Jhapa district on Sunday, as Nepal prepared for its March 5 election, the line curved along a dusty courtyard in the eastern plains. A volunteer kept the queue moving, allowing barely 10 seconds for each supporter — a handshake, a smile, a photograph. “I am here to see Balen though I have a fever,” a seven-year-old girl said. A middle-aged woman admitted she had left a heart check-up midway. “Just for a photo.”At the centre of the crowd stood Balen — dark blazer, trimmed beard, rectangular black sunglasses. It’s a look so closely associated with him that Kathmandu shops once ran out of the frames he favours, and online retailers still sell them as ‘Balen Shah glasses’. When the man — known simply as Balen — steps onto a campaign stage, the crowd often mirrors him in black shirts and dark shades. He removes his sunglasses only briefly. “Look at me,” he says. “I love you.” Balen, who turns 36 next month, is contesting parliamentary elections from Jhapa-5 against KP Sharma Oli, 74, the four-time PM who resigned five months ago after youth-led protests left 77 people dead. Jhapa-5 lies about 300km southeast of Kathmandu, close to Nepal’s open border with India; Siliguri in West Bengal sits just across the frontier and serves as a key commercial gateway for the region. Oli leads the Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist, whose networks remain deeply rooted in this eastern constituency. Balen is running under the banner of Rastriya Swatantra Party, which is less than four years old. The contest pits a first-time national candidate against one of Nepal’s most durable political figures on ground that has rarely favoured outsiders.Balen was born in Kathmandu, the youngest of four siblings. His father, Ram Narayan Shah, a govt ayurveda practitioner who died last Dec, described him as “bright and simple,” a child who wrote poems — a habit that endured. Balen studied civil engineering in Kathmandu and later completed postgraduate work in structural engineering in India. His early life suggested discipline rather than disruption.In 2013, he entered Raw Barz, Nepal’s most visible rap battle stage, and won. His lyrics were pointed and unsparing, targeting corruption, political stagnation and the inheritance of power by the same figures. “More than a rapper, he was a poet,” one organiser said. “He talked about suppressed people.”His songs travelled beyond the underground. On a Discord forum last Sept where young protesters discussed who should steer the country after Oli’s resignation, Balen’s name surfaced more than 16,000 times, making him the most frequently mentioned figure in conversations about interim leadership. Many Gen Z activists saw him as their preferred successor. He declined that role, however, and publicly backed former Supreme Court chief justice Sushila Karki instead. Balen built his following largely online, amassing millions of followers across platforms.“He speaks the language of our frustration,” said Srijan Karki, 23, a software developer. “Other leaders deliver long speeches. He makes direct statements. Even when he is angry, it feels genuine.”In 2022, running as an independent, Balen won the Kathmandu mayoralty with 61,767 votes, defeating nominees from established parties. He governed publicly and confrontationally. Bulldozers tore down illegal structures, and waste collection to Singha Durbar — which houses the PM’s office — was temporarily halted in protest over what he described as central govt inaction.When protests convulsed Nepal in Sept 2025 and demonstrators clashed with security forces after a crackdown under Oli’s govt, anger spilled onto the streets. In Nov, still serving as Kathmandu mayor, Balen channelled that fury in a midnight Facebook post: “F*** America, F*** India, F*** China, F*** UML, F*** Congress, F*** RSP, F*** RPP, F*** Maobaadi. You guys all combined can do nothing.” Two months later, he resigned as mayor and joined RSP. Balen does not regularly engage with the media. He declined Oli’s call for a public debate, instead demanding that the former PM take responsibility for civilians killed during the protests. He instead relies on social media for outreach. Across platforms, he has built an online audience unmatched in Nepal — 3.5 million followers on Facebook, 1 million each on Instagram on YouTube and 4,00,000 on X. The protests of Sept 2025 altered Nepal’s political atmosphere. Young Nepalis poured into the streets over unemployment, corruption and perceived impunity, and Oli resigned. Balen did not formally lead the demonstrations, but he became closely identified with their tone.Aayal Sah, 23, a first-time voter from Janakpur, travelled to see him speak after he joined RSP. “I cannot directly vote for Balen as he is not contesting from our area,” Sah said. “But I’ll surely vote for his party.”In Jhapa’s Damak town, Bipana Oli, 25, a migrant worker who returned from Kuwait to cast her ballot, linked her future to the outcome. “How long I continue working in Kuwait will depend on Balen’s victory,” she said. “And the job opportunities he creates.”
