Balendra Shah — RSP Prime Minister Candidate Nepal 2026, Vote for Balen

RSP PM Candidate · Nepal 2026 · #VoteForBalen

Balen
Shah

Name: Nepal General Election 2026
Start: 2026-03-05
Location: Nepal

For Prime Minister · Nepal 2026

परिवर्तन चाहिन्छ। साहस चाहिन्छ। नेपाललाई बालेन्द्र चाहिन्छ।

Change needed. Courage needed. Nepal needs Balen. #VoteForBalen

61,767

Votes — 2022 Mayor Win

TIME 100

Most Influential 2023

Age 35

Youngest PM Candidate

See His Works Vote for Change

From the Streets to the Nation

The Man Who
Dared to Be
Different

Rapper. Structural engineer. Nepal's first independent mayor. Balen Shah (Balendra Shah) is the story of refusing to accept that the same old faces deserve any more chances. #BalenForPM

1990

Born in Mahottari, Raised in Kathmandu

Born April 27, 1990. Earned a B.Eng in civil engineering then a master's in structural engineering from VTU, India — the technical mind behind the political mission.

2012

The Rapper Who Spoke for the Voiceless

Released "Sadak Balak" exposing street children's hardships. Songs tackled corruption, police brutality, and inequality. "Balidan" (Sacrifice) became a generation's anthem. His music reached millions before his politics did.

2015

Earthquake — On the Rubble, Not the Stage

When the April 2015 earthquake killed over 9,000 people, Balen was doing rescue work and structural safety assessments — using engineering skills while most politicians gave press conferences.

2022

First Independent Mayor — 23,000 Votes Clear

Ran as an independent. Won 61,767 votes — defeating all party candidates by over 23,000. Nepal's first independent mayor of Kathmandu ever. The establishment did not see it coming.

2023

TIME Magazine — World's 100 Most Influential

Listed among the world's 100 most influential people. The New York Times covered his story. Nepal's bulldozer mayor became a global symbol of what real anti-corruption governance looks like.

2025–26

Gen Z Revolution → RSP PM Candidate · #Nepal2026

Backed Nepal's September 2025 uprising that toppled Oli. Declined interim PM offer — wanted a full mandate. Resigned as mayor Jan 18, 2026. Now challenging Oli directly in Jhapa-5 as the RSP's Prime Minister candidate for the March 5, 2026 Nepal General Election.

In His Own Words

Fearless.
Incorruptible.
Inevitable.

"We made many processes that operated through informal arrangements transparent, through open procurement. Contesting against a major figure signals that I am not taking the easy way out."

— Balendra Shah, AFP, January 2026

"Gen Z's number one demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country. The Gen Z protest has opened a door."

— Balendra Shah, 2026

What He Actually Did

3.5 Years.
Real
Delivery.

Against bureaucratic obstruction, political sabotage, and a federal government that actively tried to block him. Here is what Balen Shah still built as Kathmandu's mayor — proof that #BalenForPM means something real.

01 — Transparency

Live Council Broadcasts

First mayor in Nepal's history to live telecast all municipal council meetings. Citizens could finally watch exactly who voted for what — and who was obstructing change.

First in Nepal

02 — Sanitation

Garbage Crisis Solved

Inherited a capital drowning in waste. Reached agreement with the Ministry of Urban Development within weeks, directed private operators, and transformed Kathmandu's streets. Done in months what party mayors failed to do for years.

Immediate Impact

03 — Urban Reform

Walkable Streets Restored

Reclaimed footpaths from illegal vendors, encroachers, and blocked vehicles. Deployed bulldozers on illegal structures. For the first time in a generation, pedestrians could walk Kathmandu's roads freely.

Structural Reform

04 — Anti-Corruption

Open Procurement

Dismantled the culture of informal arrangements — the kickbacks and closed deals defining government contracting for decades. Made all procurement transparent and public. A documented attack on entrenched graft.

Anti-Corruption

05 — Education

Schools Overhauled

Launched "Textbook-Free Fridays" — technical skills and extracurriculars for community schools. Required all private schools to provide 10% scholarship seats. Real enforcement where there was none before.

Education First

06 — Heritage

Tukucha River Restored

Demolished the Jai Nepal Cinema Hall built illegally over the historic Tukucha River — exposing the buried waterway for the first time in decades. His own PhD research informed city conservation policy.

Cultural Legacy

07 — Healthcare

Free Care for the Poor

Introduced direct free healthcare for Kathmandu's poorest residents — bypassing political intermediaries and getting medicine to people who needed it, not just those who knew the right party member.

Social Justice

08 — Accountability

35-Day Compliance Notices

Issued notices to businesses and government institutions alike — including Nepal Police — to clear structures infringing on public land. Demolished hundreds of illegal structures. No exceptions for the powerful.

Rule of Law

09 — Culture

Oath Taken in Newari

Took his mayoral oath in Newari, wearing a Bhadgaun cap and traditional Daura Suruwal — a statement from Day 1 that Kathmandu's indigenous heritage would be respected, not merely tokenized.

Cultural Pride

The Case for Balen Shah — #BalenForPM

Why Nepal
Needs Him
as PM

32 governments since 1990. The same dynasties. The same corruption in different suits. Here is why Balendra Shah is structurally, genuinely different from every other Nepal PM candidate.

"He is not just a local leader — he is a phenomenon. TIME Magazine included him in its Top 100 list in 2023 and globally respected outlets like The New York Times have covered his story."

— Nepal News

He Has Actually Governed — And Delivered

Most politicians have never run anything more complex than a party committee. Balen ran Nepal's largest metropolitan government — against active federal obstruction — and still delivered cleaner streets, school reform, open procurement, and free healthcare in 3.5 years.

No Party Debts. No Dynasty. No Corruption.

No party dynasty, no factional debt, no history of trading favors. He won the 2022 mayoral race as an independent on 61,767 votes — through personal trust, not party machinery. At 35, his record is clean where it matters.

An Engineer's Mind, Not a Politician's Tongue

Nepal has had enough of people who speak beautifully and build nothing. Balen is a structural engineer with a master's degree. He approaches governance with systems, tolerances, and real solutions. Infrastructure is his native language.

He IS the Gen Z Revolution's Demand

The September 2025 protests that toppled Oli demanded a completely different model of politics. Balen backed those protesters, declined the transitional PM role, and went to build real electoral power. 40% of RSP's central committee are new faces from those protests.

Courage — Into the Lion's Den

He could have contested safely in Kathmandu. Instead he chose Jhapa-5 — Oli's own stronghold — to face the man whose government ordered live rounds on unarmed protesters. "I am not taking the easy way out," he told AFP. That is political courage.

A Concrete Vision — Nepal as Trade Hub

A liberal economic system with social justice. Nepal — landlocked between India and China — repositioned as a strategic trade and transit corridor. Hydropower exports turning rivers into national income. Skilled jobs replacing the migrant worker exodus.

Balen's Nepal 2026 — #BalenForPM Vision

What Happens When
Balen Becomes PM

Based on his platform — a liberal economic system with social justice, clean governance, and infrastructure Nepal can be proud of. Vote for Balen Shah, Vote RSP, March 5, 2026.

Energy Independence

Hydropower Nation

Nepal's 83,000 MW hydropower potential harnessed at scale
Electricity exports to India and Bangladesh — rivers become revenue
Cheap domestic energy powering factories, EVs, and digital industry
End to Nepal's costly fuel import dependency

Social Floor

Universal Health & Education

Universal healthcare — starting with Nepal's poorest citizens
Free education in government schools through secondary level
Scholarships replacing party nepotism for university access
End the brain drain caused by unaffordable private schooling

Geopolitical Strategy

Nepal as Trade Hub

Positioned between India and China as a strategic transit corridor
Tourism, trade, and tech jobs replacing migrant worker exodus
Foreign investment through simplified, transparent laws
Nepal competing with Southeast Asia for high-skilled capital

Governance

Clean Government

High-level asset investigation commission — all public officeholders
Open procurement nationwide, not just Kathmandu
Merit-only civil service — end to political appointments
60% of national budget direct to provincial and local governments

Youth Economy

Jobs & Social Security

Unemployment insurance enabling young people to take risks
Mandatory social security fund protecting every worker
Six months paid maternity leave — a minimum standard
Formal employment growth from 18% toward 50%

Infrastructure

Built by an Engineer

An engineer as PM means roads, bridges, and buildings are taken seriously
EV-ready infrastructure — ending petrol import bills permanently
Heritage conservation making Kathmandu Valley a world destination
Digital government — no more queueing at ministries for documents

Vote for Change.
Vote for Balen.

परिवर्तनको लागि मत दिनुस्।
बालेन्द्र शाहको लागि मत दिनुस्।

March 5, 2026 — Mark the Bell — Vote RSP — #VoteForBalen #BalenForPM #Nepal2026

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Sourced from Wikipedia, The Himalayan Times, Kathmandu Post, TRT World, The Diplomat, AFP, TIME Magazine, and RSP communications.
Independent civic campaign site supporting democratic change in Nepal. #VoteForBalen #BalenForPM #Nepal2026 #NepalElection2026 #RSP #BalenShah #BalendraSha

BalenShah

The Man WhoDared to BeDifferent

Fearless.Incorruptible.Inevitable.

3.5 Years.RealDelivery.

Why NepalNeeds Himas PM

What Happens WhenBalen Becomes PM

Vote for Change.Vote for Balen.