Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah, a former rapper who later served as Kathmandu mayor, took the oath as Nepal’s prime minister on Friday, about a month after winning a decisive election on promises to create jobs and restore political stability.
At 35, Shah is the youngest person to hold the office in decades and the first prime minister from the Madhesi community, an indigenous group with close cultural and linguistic ties to India. Dressed in black and wearing his trademark dark sunglasses, Shah pledged loyalty to the constitution and vowed to carry out his duties as prime minister.
President Ram Chandra Poudel administered the oath at 12:34 p.m., a time chosen for its auspicious 1-2-3-4 pattern according to Hindu numerology. Nepal is about 80 percent Hindu, and astrology and numerology still influence many public ceremonies. The swearing-in followed Vedic–Sanatan rituals, including seven conch blasts, recitations by 108 young priests known as Batuks, and chants by 108 Buddhist monks. Supporters in the crowd cheered and chanted Shah’s name after the rituals. He then announced his cabinet, which was subsequently sworn in.
Shah, trained as a structural engineer, rose to national prominence first as a rap artist and later as an anti-establishment political figure. He became especially visible during a violent, youth-led uprising in September that helped topple the old political leadership. Those protests were fueled by frustration over corruption, chronic political instability, and slow economic growth.
His Rastriya Swatantrata Party (RSP) captured a landslide in the first democratic election since the unrest, taking 182 of the 275 parliamentary seats.
A day before the oath, Shah posted a rap on social media that attracted millions of views, with lyrics stressing unity, courage, and collective resolve. Political analyst Puranjan Acharya said the new government faces an immediate test: delivering visible, transparent services quickly so voters see signs of improved governance from the outset.
Shah’s rise marks a dramatic shift in Nepali politics, blending outsider appeal, youth-driven momentum, and traditional ceremonial symbolism as he begins a term watched closely at home and abroad.