Kathmandu, Mar 28:
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah — popularly known as ‘Balen’ — was on Thursday sworn in as Nepal’s new prime minister, around six months after the dramatic collapse of the KP Sharma Oli government in an unprecedented youth movement.
The 35-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader took the oath of office at the President’s Office, administered by President Ram Chandra Paudel. The RSP secured a landslide victory in this month’s parliamentary elections.
A former mayor of Kathmandu, Shah is the youngest democratically elected leader to assume the country’s top office and the first from the Madhes region to become prime minister.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shah after the ceremony and expressed his intent to strengthen bilateral ties.
“Your appointment reflects the trust reposed in your leadership by the people of Nepal. I look forward to working closely with you to take India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights for the mutual benefit of our two peoples,” Modi posted on X.
Nepal holds strategic importance for India, with leaders from both countries often referring to their longstanding “Roti Beti” relationship. As a landlocked country, Nepal depends heavily on India for transit and trade, with most of its imports routed through Indian territory.
Shah is the first democratically elected prime minister since the coalition government led by Oli was ousted in September last year, following a youth-led Gen Z protest against corruption, nepotism, and a social media ban that escalated into violence.
After Oli’s removal, former chief justice Sushila Karki assumed charge as interim prime minister on the recommendation of the Gen Z movement.