Balendra Shah, who is known as Balen Shah, is the 15th Mayor of the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu.
He is currently serving as the Mayor of Kathmandu.
In the 2022 local election, Balen Shah announced his candidacy as an independent.
He became the first mayor who has been elected as an independent candidate.
Quick information about Balen Shah
| Full Name | Balendra Shah |
| Known Name | Balen Shah |
| Date of Birth | 27 April 1990 |
| Birthplace | Gairigaun, Tinkune, Kathmandu |
| Nationality | Nepalese |
| Profession | Rapper, Structural Engineer & Politician |
Family & Relationship
| Father | Ram Narayan Shah |
| Mother | Dhruva Devi Shah |
| Spouse | Sabina Kafle |
Education
| School | Alliance Academy & V.S. Niketan Higher Secondary School |
| College/University | White House Institute of Technology & Visvesvaraya Technological University |
Early Life
Balen Shah was born on April 27, 1990, in Naradevi, Kathmandu.
He is the youngest son of Ram Narayan Shah and Dhruvadevi Shah.
His father, Ram Narayan Shah, is an Ayurvedic practitioner.
Their family is originally from Mahottari, but their parents moved to Kathmandu from Mahottari after his father was posted to Nardevi Ayurvedic Hospital in Kathmandu.
Earlier, he was famous in Nepal and among the youth as a Nepali hip hop singer since 2010.
Education
Balen Shah completed his academic education at V.S. Niketan Higher Secondary School, and he completed his professional education (BE) in civil engineering at Himalayan Whitehouse International College.
He went to Karnataka, India for his master’s degree. He completed his master’s degree (M tech) in structural engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU).
Music Career
From an early age, Balen Shah showed his interest in music and poetry.
He sings Nepali hip hop, political rap, and nep hop songs.
Through his music, he has expressed his feelings about the nation and about politics.
He has his own YouTube channel, where he has uploaded his music.
Political Career
Before the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal in 2015, Balen Shah was involved in the “We For Constitution” movement.
Balen Shah expressed interest in running for mayor of Kathmandu in the 2017 local election but later backed out.
On December 17, 2021, Balen Shah announced that he would be running for Kathmandu’s mayorship as an independent candidate.
His political symbol is “Lauro,” a stick.
His campaign was focused on waste management, road traffic control, public service delivery, anti-corruption, and the preservation of the cultural heritage of the city.
He was getting support, especially from young people who were looking for a change in the nation and from those who were fed up with conventional politics and politicians.
In a local election on May 26, 2022, he was elected and he won 38.6% of the votes.
He defeated Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Shrestha and former mayor and CPN (UML) candidate Keshav Sthapit by a margin of over 23,000 votes.
Balen Shah took his oath as mayor on May 30, 2022.
Personal Life
Balen Shah was married to Sabina Kafle in 2018.
Shah lives with his family in Gairigaun, Tinkune, Kathmandu.