Before he dismantled Nepal’s political elite, Balendra Shah was destroying his opponents in underground rap battles.
More than a decade in the past, armed with a microphone and his signature sun shades, he spat verses about Kathmandu’s corruption, its damaged roads, and social inequality. Those in energy dismissed it as noise, however the nation’s younger individuals have been listening.
Today, the children who streamed his music have grown up; and in nationwide elections last week, they handed the 35-year-old the keys to the nation.
Shah, broadly referred to as Balen, is on monitor to turn into the Himalayan nation’s subsequent prime minister after youth-led protests toppled the earlier authorities. His Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has made historical past, securing the biggest mandate in Nepal’s fashionable electoral period.
Shah is predicted to take workplace within the coming days after the formal declaration of outcomes.
“Because of Balen, this nation is happy, tears of joy are flowing,” Sakchyam Sangraula advised the information company Reuters at a celebration rally in Nepal, the place cheers and ringing bells echoed over victory chants. “Balen will build this nation, he definitely will.”
Shah is now anticipated to lead Nepal, a rustic of greater than 30 million individuals with a notoriously turbulent political scene. The nation has had greater than a dozen governments since 2008, when it abolished its 239-year-old monarchy and transitioned to a republic following a decades-long civil struggle.
Many view his celebration’s rise as a harsh rebuke of Nepal’s political elite. After years of dealing with corruption allegations, the institution’s grip slipped throughout final yr’s anti-government protests, which left more than 50 dead and introduced down the communist authorities of the nation’s longtime former leader, KP Sharma Oli.
Born in Nepal’s vibrant capital Kathmandu in 1990 to an Ayurvedic physician and a homemaker, Shah took a wildly unconventional path to the very best seat of political energy.
Before coming into politics, he skilled as a structural engineer, incomes levels in each Nepal and India. Yet, whereas buried in his research, he was carving out a daring fame in his house nation’s rap scene.
Channeling the affect of hip-hop icons like Tupac Shakur and 50 Cent, Shah took to the 2013 YouTube sequence Raw Barz. There, he penned lyrics that make clear the deep-rooted inequality and systemic corruption plaguing the nation.
His cousin, Prashant Shah, advised The Kathmandu Post in 2022 that this drive to spotlight native points began in childhood.
“From a young age, he was dissatisfied with the way the metropolitan city was being run,” Prashant advised the Nepali newspaper. “He would often say Kathmandu is beautiful and can be developed into a liveable city.”
That identical yr, Shah ran for Kathmandu’s mayoral seat as an unbiased. Relying closely on a grassroots on-line marketing campaign, he shocked the political institution by defeating candidates fielded by the previous guard.
“The path ahead is not easy. The real test of our campaign has just begun,” his group wrote in a submit on Facebook on the time.
“Please warn us if we go off track.”
Clean-up drives and controversy
Shah’s tenure as mayor was outlined by a crackdown on corruption and clean-up drives. He initiated a marketing campaign to demolish unlawful constructions, live-streamed municipal council conferences to guarantee transparency, and pushed for the preservation of indigenous heritage.
He additionally made headlines for his fiercely nationalist and provocative posture when it got here to Nepal’s large neighbors, China and India.
In June 2023, Shah positioned a controversial map of “Greater Nepal” in his workplace, depicting Indian territories as a part of Nepal. The transfer was a direct response to India’s own “Akhand Bharat” map, unveiled in its new Parliament constructing, which depicted an historical Indian civilization encompassing modern-day Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
He has been equally combative to its northern neighbor. Shah canceled a scheduled journey to China in 2023 after Beijing launched a new commonplace map that didn’t acknowledge Nepal’s up to date 2020 political map, which included some disputed Himalayan territories, local media reported.
Shah’s unfiltered type reached a peak late final yr, when he posted an expletive-laden message on Facebook aimed on the US, India and China. He has since deleted the submit, nevertheless it underscored his picture as a leader unbound by diplomatic niceties.
Shah’s victory follows a large wave of unrest.
Public anger over what many view as rampant, decades-long corruption had been simmering for years, spilling into the streets of the capital final September when the federal government blocked main social media platforms, together with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and X.
But the protests have been about far more than a digital blackout; they mirrored a deep generational frustration over an absence of financial alternative. According to the World Bank, youth unemployment (ages 15-24) in Nepal reached 20.8% in 2024.
“There aren’t many opportunities to explore here, which is why there’s a lot of brain drain,” stated 23-year-old Mahaharsha Rawal, who took half within the demonstrations. “A lot of people (are) going outside.”
Nepal’s financial system is closely reliant on cash despatched house by Nepalis dwelling overseas. About 1 / 4 of Nepal’s GDP comes from private remittances, according to the World Bank, a quantity that has steadily risen over the previous three many years.
“We didn’t expect to be shot at… We went there for a peaceful protest,” Rawal stated.
As offended protesters defied a curfew, police fired water cannon, tear fuel and reside ammunition at crowds gathered on the parliament complicated in Kathmandu.
Shah supplied the soundtrack to the protests, releasing “Nepal Haseko,” a tune that has greater than 11 million views on YouTube. In it he raps: “I want to see Nepal smiling, I want to see the hearts of Nepalis dancing. I want to see Nepal smiling, I want to see Nepalis living happily.”
The rebellion catapulted Shah to nationwide prominence.
Though crowds within the streets demanded he take the helm instantly, Shah bided his time, ready for this month’s formal elections to safe a real democratic mandate. When he did run, he made a symbolic alternative: contesting the seat held by former prime minister Oli, the 74-year-old institution determine he’d quickly defeat.
As tens of 1000’s of younger individuals rejoice within the streets and on social media, Shah’s celebration has stated it received’t maintain any victory rallies, to “honor the martyrs of the revolution.”
Maintaining his signature aura, he hasn’t made any large statements on social media both.
On the streets of Kathmandu, there’s palpable pleasure.
“Now we have finally got the youngest prime minister in the world,” Aayush Bhattarai advised Reuters.
“Hope he will not forget all his promises and will work on the behalf of the people… We trusted you, now you should not play with our trust.”