Nepal is heading toward a fascinating political moment as two of the country’s most talked-about younger leaders unite to challenge the decades-old dominance of traditional parties ahead of the March parliamentary elections.
Balendra Shah — widely known as Balen — first earned recognition as a rapper before becoming the hugely popular mayor of Kathmandu. On Sunday, he officially joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by another unconventional political figure: former TV host Rabi Lamichhane.
Under their agreement, if the RSP secures victory in the March 5 elections, the 35-year-old Balen would become Nepal’s next prime minister, while Lamichhane continues as party chief.
Both leaders rose to prominence during the youth-driven “Gen Z” protests against corruption last September. Those demonstrations shook the political landscape, resulted in Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli stepping down, and added nearly one million mostly young voters to the electoral roll. Analysts say these fresh voices could become a deciding factor in the coming vote.
“This is a very smart and strategic move by the RSP,” political analyst Bipin Adhikari noted, saying the alliance strengthens the party’s appeal to younger citizens frustrated with the status quo. Traditional parties — mainly the UML and Nepali Congress — now face growing pressure as voters hungry for change look for leaders who reflect their aspirations.
Nearly 19 million Nepalis are eligible to vote — and many of them will be casting ballots with hope for a cleaner, more responsive political system. Balen, seen as an informal figurehead of the protest movement, has pledged to keep that promise at the center of his campaign.
As Nepal moves closer to election day, the story is no longer just about politics — it’s about a generation refusing to stay silent, demanding fairness, and re-imagining the future of their nation.
