Balen Shah

Balendra Shah (Nepali: बालेन्द्र शाह), popularly known as Balen Shah or simply Balen, is a Nepalese rapper, structural engineer and politician. He is currently serving as the 15th mayor of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.[1][2]

Mayor
Balen Shah
Mayor of Kathmandu
Assumed office
30 May 2022
Personal details
Alma materVTU (MTech)
Profession
Musical career
OriginSinamangal–9, Kathmandu, Nepal
Genres
Years active2012–present
Labels
Websitebalenformayor.com

Shah has been a popular figure in Nepalese hip-hop since the early 2010s. Shah announced his candidacy as an independent and was elected at the 2022 local election, defeating Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Singh and CPN (UML) candidate Keshav Sthapit.[3][4][5] He is the first independent candidate to be elected as the mayor of Kathmandu.

Early life and education

Shah was born on 27 April 1990 in Naradevi, Kathmandu. He is the youngest son of Ram Narayan Shah, an Ayurvedic practitioner, and his wife Dhruvadevi Shah.[6] His parents moved to Kathmandu from Mahottari after his father was posted to Naradevi Ayurvedic Hospital.[4] His paternal ancestral home is in Mahottari's Ekdara Rural Municipality, while his mother's family lives in Dhanusha.[7]

Shah attended V.S. Niketan Higher Secondary School for his 10+2 studies. He received a bachelor's degree (BE) in civil engineering from Himalayan Whitehouse International College.[8] He also received a master's degree (MTech) in structural engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Karnataka, India.[6]

Music career

From an early age, Shah was interested in music and poetry.[9] He released his first single, Sadak Balak, which he wrote while in the ninth grade, in 2012.[8] He rose to prominence among Nephop fans in 2013 after his appearance on the YouTube battle rap series Raw Barz.[8]

Political career

Shah was involved in the "We For Constitution" movement before the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal in 2015. He had also expressed interest in running for Kathmandu's mayorship in the 2017 local elections but later backed down.[4][8]

2022 Kathmandu mayoral election
Main article: 2022 Kathmandu municipal election

Balen Shah had been mulling over his plans for candidacy since 2019 and on 17 December 2021 announced that he would be running for the mayoral race as an independent candidate through his Facebook Page.[3][8] His campaign focused on waste management, road traffic control, public service delivery, anti-corruption, and preservation of cultural heritage of the city.[4]

Shah was elected on 26 May 2022, winning 38.6% of the votes cast. He defeated Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Shrestha and former mayor and CPN (UML) candidate Keshav Sthapit by a margin of over 23,000 votes.[1]

Shah was sworn in as mayor on 30 May 2022 and administered the oath of office to other members of the municipal assembly elected at the elections.[10]

Controversies

Shah has been criticized over the profane and misogynistic elements of his rap lyrics.[11] In early July 2022, he attracted controversy over the use of a sacred crown in Nephopko Shreepech, a hip-hop reality TV show in which he served as a judge.[12]

Personal life

Shah is married to Sabina Kafle, a public health professional.[8] He lives with his family in Gairigaun, Tinkune.[8]

Electoral history

2022 Kathmandu local election
Mayoral elections result
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Balendra Shah 61,767 38.6% New
Nepali Congress Sirjana Singh 38,341 24.0% +1.1%
CPN (UML) Keshav Sthapit 38,117 23.8% -9.1%
Independent Suman Sayami 13,770 8.6% New
RPP Madan Das Shrestha 5,770 3.6% New
Others 2,141 1.3%
Total valid votes 159,906
Rejected ballots 31,280
Turnout 191,186 63.68% -9.04%
Registered electors 300,242 [13] +10.7%
Independent gain from CPN (UML) Swing +23.9%

References
  1. "'लौरो' बोकेर बालेन बने काठमाण्डू महानगर प्रमुख, को हुन् उनको विजयका सारथि". BBC News (in Nepali). 26 May 2022. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  2. "Nepali rapper Balendra Shah becomes new Mayor of Kathmandu". ThePrint. 27 May 2022. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022.
  3. "Rapper Balen Shah announces to contest for Mayor of Kathmandu". My Republica. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  4. "'Balen' canes parties with the walking stick". The Kathmandu Post. 26 May 2022. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  5. मोक्तान, रीना (26 May 2022). "र्‍यापबाटै राजनीति". Kantipur Publications (in Nepali). Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  6. बेलवासे, अस्मिता (26 May 2022). "काठमाडौँका 'लेन'मा बालेन". Nagarik News (in Nepali). Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  7. "'वालेन जितेर एक पटक गाउँ आऊ'". Gorkhapatra (in Nepali). 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  8. सत्याल, मनोज (29 April 2022). "कालो चस्माभित्र लुकेका बालेन शाह". Setopati. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  9. बजगाईं, सुरेन्द्र (2 May 2022). "स्थापित दलका उम्मेदवारमाथि एक्लै भारी बनेका बालेन शाह". Ekagaj (in Nepali). Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  10. "KMC Mayor Balen Shah takes oath of office and secrecy". Khabarhub. 30 May 2022. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  11. Moktan, Rina (26 May 2022). "र्‍यापबाटै राजनीति". Kantipur (in Nepali). Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022. कलाकारका गीतले चेतना मात्र फैलाउँदैनन्, विवाद पनि सिर्जना गर्छन् । स्वयं बालेनका कतिपय गीतमाथि सामाजिक सञ्जालमा असन्तुष्टि पनि पोखिएको छ ।
  12. "विवाद भएपछि मेयर बालेनले विजेता साइमनसँगै गएर बुझाए 'नेपहपको श्रीपेच'". Kantipur (in Nepali). 5 July 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  13. "प्रेस विज्ञप्ति" (PDF). Election Commission, Nepal (in Nepali). Retrieved 26 May 2022.
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