Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah resigns; set to contest Parliamentary polls

Kathmandu: Balen Shah, Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, resigned from his post on Sunday ahead of the completion of his tenure to contest the elections to the Nepal's House of Representatives scheduled for March 5.

His office confirmed that Shah, who has been leading the country's largest metropolitan city for the past three-and-a-half years, submitted his resignation to the Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol.

In his resignation letter, Shah said that he stepped down voluntarily in accordance with the Constitution of Nepal, 2015, the Local Government Operation Act, 2017, and other related laws, with effect from Sunday.

His party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), has not officially clarified the constituency from which he will contest the election. 

However, there is speculation that he may run from Jhapa–5 constituency, which is also the constituency of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

The two were at loggerheads on several occasions when Oli was the Prime Minister. 

Following the Gen Z protests in September last year, Shah -- an architect and rapper by profession -- was also seen as a kingmaker in the formation of the current government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki.

In late December last year, Shah's team merged with the RSP. 

As part of the seven-point agreement reached between Shah and the RSP, Shah is set to become the Leader of the Parliamentary Party and the party's Prime Ministerial candidate after the upcoming House of Representatives election.

If Shah and Oli contest head-to-head from the same constituency, it will be considered a battle for the next Prime Ministership.

Shah, usually a reclusive Mayor who rarely gives media interviews, enjoys a cult following, particularly among young people, due to his efforts to improve public infrastructure in the city and his outspoken criticism of what he describes as the "corrupt" leadership of established political parties.

He was elected Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City in May 2022 as an independent candidate. 

His victory is widely credited with sparking increased interest among the younger generation in entering politics.