Former Rapper Poised to Become Nepal’s Next Prime Minister

Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old former rap star turned politician, appears headed for victory in Nepal's parliamentary elections following youth-led protests that toppled the previous government. His Rastriya Swatantra Party ran a sophisticated campaign from their Kathmandu headquarters, heavily funded by Nepali expatriates living abroad.

KATHMANDU, March 7 – A sophisticated political operation run from the upper floors of a six-story building in western Kathmandu has positioned a 35-year-old former rapper to become Nepal’s next prime minister.

Balendra Shah, known by his stage name “Balen,” represents the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which currently leads vote tallies following Nepal’s first parliamentary election since youth demonstrations in September toppled the previous administration.

Election officials expect final results for 275 total parliamentary seats – 165 direct seats and 110 proportional representation positions – to be announced next week.

Should current voting patterns continue, Shah will have successfully capitalized on momentum from the September uprising through what may be the most advanced campaign operation the small Himalayan country has witnessed.

Reuters spoke with six RSP party leaders to understand Shah’s campaign strategy, which operated primarily from the party’s Balaju neighborhood headquarters and received substantial financial backing from overseas Nepali communities.

“We are overwhelmed by the support and love we received from people on the ground,” stated Bigyan Gautam, who served on RSP’s national campaign team.

Shah’s electoral success contrasts sharply with Bangladesh’s recent election, where a youth-oriented party failed to gain traction despite emerging from similar “Gen-Z” demonstrations that removed that nation’s longtime leader in 2024.

The RSP’s political operation centers around its Research, Strategy and Documentation Department, managed by an 11-person board supervising 300 party workers organized into three national units that support local candidate teams.

These nationwide groups developed electoral strategies, coordinated rallies, produced digital content, and monitored grassroots campaigning efforts throughout Nepal, according to three party officials.

Leading up to Thursday’s election, the party implemented a precisely timed media approach, with Shah delivering major addresses every eight days to allow a 660-person social media team sufficient time to amplify each event’s impact.

RSP also conducted road shows across five to seven districts daily, supported by brief daily appearances in one of Nepal’s seven provinces where Shah would engage directly with voters.

“If you keep giving speeches, people get confused,” explained one party official who requested anonymity. “We let opposition parties raise some issues, and then respond once. This way, our message stays clear.”

The centralized campaign structure and large-scale events received direct party funding through substantial contributions from Nepalis residing overseas, particularly those in the United States, two officials confirmed.

However, individual candidates handled organizing and financing their own local campaign activities, according to RSP Treasurer Lima Adhikari.

Before joining RSP last December prior to the elections, Shah served as Kathmandu’s mayor, a role he secured in 2022 by utilizing his fame as one of Nepal’s most popular rap artists with millions of social media followers.

At a January 19 rally in Nepal’s Madhesh province capital, Shah appeared alongside RSP founder and former television host Rabi Lamichhane, declaring to thousands of supporters: “A Madhesi boy is going to become prime minister.”

Despite the Madhesh region and surrounding Terai plains containing Nepal’s largest population centers, the country’s political leadership has historically come from Kathmandu and the mountainous regions.

Shah’s January address became a social media sensation, highlighting the early effectiveness of RSP’s strategy to make him the first plains-region leader to claim the prime minister’s office, three party officials noted.

“It was very clear to us that the nation was fed up with the old corrupt leaders and they were seeing hope in young leaders like Balen Shah and Rabi Lamichhane,” said Birendra Kumar Mehta, a central committee member. “The party saw this as an opportunity.”

Shah is running for parliament from Jhapa-5, a plains constituency that has traditionally been the political stronghold of K.P. Sharma Oli, who resigned as prime minister following the September protests.

In this rural Nepal district, Shah maintained his unconventional campaign approach, avoiding traditional media interviews while making unscheduled stops to speak with voters and organizing youth volunteer networks throughout the constituency.

His team, supported by the RSP’s Kathmandu operation, has also gathered voter concerns and complaints regarding development initiatives and government services.

“People from every part of Nepal will feel that the government is theirs and most importantly, that it is there for them,” said D.P. Aryal, RSP’s vice chairperson, noting that Shah’s government plans to recruit external experts to strengthen its capabilities. “Youth engagement and the maximum integration of technology will also be among our top priorities.”