Ex-Rapper Balendra Shah Set To Take Oath As Nepal’s Youngest Prime Minister Today After Landslide Victory

Kathmandu: In a historic political shift, Balendra Shah, leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), will be sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal on Friday. The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place at the President’s Office in Sheetal Niwas, Kathmandu, at 12:34 pm local time today.

The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, popularly known as 'Balen,' is set to become the youngest elected Prime Minister in Nepal’s history and the first leader from the Madhes region to assume the country’s top executive post. His elevation comes a day after he was unanimously elected as the parliamentary party leader of the RSP, formally clearing the path for his appointment.

Sweeping Victory For Balen Shah's RSP In Recent Polls

Shah’s rise follows a sweeping electoral mandate in the March 5 parliamentary elections, where the RSP secured a commanding 182 out of 275 seats in the House of Representatives. The victory marks a dramatic political realignment, with the party capitalising on public demand for generational change and a corruption-free governance model, particularly after last year’s youth-led protests.

Shah Defeats Ex-PM KP Sharma Oli In Jhapa-5 Constituency

In a major upset, Shah defeated former Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency, a long-standing stronghold of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). The scale of the victory shows the declining influence of traditional political forces in the country.

According to party officials, the RSP’s central committee has authorised Shah to form the new government. A cabinet comprising 15 to 18 members is expected to be announced later in the day.

The composition of Nepal’s House of Representatives includes 165 members elected through direct voting and 110 through proportional representation. Following the elections, newly elected lawmakers were administered the oath of office by senior leader Arjun Narasingha KC at the federal parliament in Singha Durbar, formally initiating the government formation process.

The RSP’s landslide win has diminished the presence of established parties. The Nepali Congress secured just 38 seats, while the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) managed 25 and other parties trailed further behind. Shah’s swearing-in is being seen as the beginning of a new political chapter in Nepal, marked by a decisive shift toward younger leadership and reform-driven governance.