Kamal Ghorui
Balendra “Balen” Shah, 35, is set to take oath as Nepal’s prime minister on Friday, coinciding with Ram Navami as observed in the Himalayan country. It would put one of the world’s youngest PMs in office and mark a dramatic rise for the rapper-turned-politician who forged his political career taking on Singha Durbar, the Himalayan nation’s seat of power.Shah, the former Kathmandu mayor who repeatedly clashed with Singha Durbar and cast it as the symbol of the city’s political frustrations, is set to govern from the same complex. It’s a striking turn for a politician who built his profile by accusing the federal establishment of obstructing Kathmandu’s right to govern itself.Few episodes captured the conflict as starkly as Shah’s Sept 2023 post after police stopped a Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) vehicle carrying his wife on a public holiday. Shah wrote: “…if any of our KMC vehicles are stopped by the govt (in future), I will set Singha Durbar on fire.” He later deleted the post, but the remark captured the confrontational style that made him a national figure. In Sept 2025, when Singha Durbar was indeed set on fire during the Gen Z uprising, the KP Sharma Oli govt accused KMC of not sending firefighters on time. Shah rejected the charge.But his confrontations have extended beyond Singha Durbar. During the “Adipurush” row in June 2023 – a dialogue in the film refers to Sita as the “daughter of India”, a reference many in Nepal protested as they believe Sita was born in that country’s Janakpur – Shah banned the screening of Indian films in Kathmandu and refused to comply with a court order. That defiance strengthened his image among supporters, while critics saw in it the same impulsiveness that could become a liability in higher office.That is why Shah’s move to the federal complex is more than a political promotion. “Ultimately, his real test will not be in his decisions, but in his perspective… Will he weaken institutions in the charm of popularity, or strengthen institutions to make his popularity enduring?” a columnist wrote.
