Nepal’s political landscape is set for a major shake up after rapper turned Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah agreed to run for prime minister in upcoming parliamentary elections, following months of youth led protests that toppled the previous government.
Two popular figures have formed a political alliance ahead of the March 5 elections, aiming to challenge older parties that have dominated Nepal’s politics for more than three decades, party officials and analysts said on Monday.
Shah, popularly known as Balen, joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party, RSP, on Sunday. The party is led by former television host turned politician Rabi Lamichhane. Under the agreement, the 35 year old Shah will become prime minister if the RSP wins the elections, while Lamichhane, 48, will remain party leader.
Both men say their alliance is driven by demands raised during the Gen Z protests against widespread corruption in September. The demonstrations left 77 people dead and forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign.
“It is a very smart and strategic move by the RSP to bring in Balen and his young supporters into its fold,” analyst Bipin Adhikari said.
“Traditional political parties are in pain for fear of losing their young voters to RSP,” he added.
Nepal’s election commission says nearly 19 million of the country’s 30 million people are eligible to vote. Almost 1 million new voters, mostly young people, were added to the electoral register after the protests.
Shah rose to prominence during the unrest and was widely seen as an undeclared leader of the youth movement. He later helped form the interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, which will oversee the elections.
However, critics have questioned Shah’s role during the protests, arguing that he rarely appeared in public and mainly addressed supporters through social media.
For decades, Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist Leninist and the centrist Nepali Congress party have shared power and are now expected to face their strongest challenge yet from Shah and his allies.
Lamichhane formed the RSP ahead of the 2022 elections and gained popularity for his anti corruption stance as a television host. He is currently out on bail over allegations of misuse of funds collected by cooperatives from small depositors.
Prakash Sharan Mahat, spokesperson for the Nepali Congress party, dismissed the alliance’s potential impact.
“I don’t think there will be any upheaval due to their alliance. People will still choose the old and experienced parties,” Mahat told reporters.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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