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Nepal Election Directory
Candidate profile
बालेन्द्र शाह (बालेन)
Jhapa-5
Jhapa, Koshi
Balendra Shah (widely known as Balen Shah) is the president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2026 general election. Born in Kathmandu on April 27, 1990, he trained as a civil engineer before rising to fame as one of Nepal's most prominent hip-hop artists, known for lyrics addressing corruption and inequality. He served as the 15th Mayor of Kathmandu from 2022, resigning in January 2026 to contest the general election. He defeated former four-time Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli by a historic margin of 49,614 votes in the Jhapa-5 constituency.
Date of Birth
April 27, 1990
Age
36 years
Profession
Civil Engineer, Rapper, Politician
Phone
+977-9851145411RSP Election Manifesto 2079
RSP uses a unified party manifesto for all candidates
66.8%
68,348
102,338
49,614
Head-to-head result
Winner vs closest opponent in valid votes
Bachelor of Civil Engineering
Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University
Masters in Structural Engineering
Visvesvaraya Technological University, India
8 sources — information verified from public records.