Balen Shah

Balen Shah^[a] (born 27 April 1990) is a Nepalese politician and former rapper who is currently serving as the 15th mayor of Kathmandu since 2022. He is the first independent candidate to be elected as the mayor of Kathmandu.

Born to a family of Maithil Madhesi origin, Shah has been a part of the Nepalese hip-hop industry since 2012. In the 2022 local election, Shah was elected mayor, defeating Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Singh and CPN (UML) candidate Keshav Sthapit.

As mayor, Shah's campaigns include waste management and road traffic control. Shah has been highly critical of India and supported the irredentist Greater Nepal claims. In 2023, he placed a map of Greater Nepal in his personal office, an act that caused considerable controversy in India.^[1][2]

Balen Shah was born on 27 April 1990 in Naradevi, Kathmandu to a family of Maithil Madhesi origin.^[3][4] He is the youngest son of Ram Narayan Shah, an Ayurvedic practitioner, and his wife Dhruvadevi Shah.^[5] His parents moved to Kathmandu from Mahottari District of Madhesh Province after his father was posted to Naradevi Ayurvedic Hospital.^[3]

Shah attended V.S. Niketan Higher Secondary School for his 10+2 studies. He received a bachelor's degree (BE) in civil engineering from Himalayan Whitehouse International College.^[6] He also received a master's degree (MTech) in structural engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Karnataka, India. Balen Shah has been awarded a KU Researcher's Fellowship for his PhD studies in Civil Engineering at Kathmandu University and his topic of study is the "Conservation of Newa Heritage Structure to promote Tourism and Economy”. ^[5]

From an early age, Shah was interested in music and poetry.^[7] He released his first single, Sadak Balak, which he wrote while in the ninth grade, in 2012.^[6] He rose to prominence among Nephop fans in 2013 after his appearance on the YouTube battle rap series Raw Barz.^[6]

In early July 2022, he attracted controversy over the use of a sacred crown in Nephopko Shreepech, a hip-hop reality TV show in which he served as a judge.^[8]

As one of the first moves upon taking office, Shah introduced live telecasts of municipal council meetings, marking the first time such a practice was implemented in the city.^[9][3][10]

On 6 June 2022, an agreement was reached between the Ministry of Urban Development and the newly elected representatives to commence garbage disposal from 7 June and on 18 August 2022, following a four-point agreement between the locals and government officials, Balen directed private companies to handle the disposal of all uncollected solid waste.^[11]

Shah instructed to uncover the Tukucha River by demolishing the private properties built above the river, as part of city beautification and river conservation effort. The businesses affected by the campaign filed a writ petition in the court. Patan High Court subsequently issued the interim order barring the Kathmandu city government in the demolition drive.^[12]

He made a request to the Nepal Police to ensure compliance with the law and order by removing all police sub-stations constructed on sidewalks without proper authorization from the municipality.^[13] He also clashed with Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, after the mayor's office removed the construction materials including wire fencing on the grounds of Tribhuvan International Airport, that were built without proper approval from the city.^[14] CAAN wrote letter to mayor Balen seeking explanation for his forceful entry to the restricted area and asked the KMC Mayor to furnish clarification as to why he should not be punished as per the Clause 25(1) of the CAAN Act.^[15] KMC Mayor moved to high court demanding the notice given by CAAN to be scrapped. The Patan high court issued short-term stay order on the notice. However, the high court scrapped the petition filed by KMC Mayor.^[16]

Balen's office issued a 7-day public notice to vacate landless squatters on the river banks, which led to a conflict between the residents and the municipal police during the slum demolition attempt. The clash resulted in several injuries.^[17] Balen later expressed his concern about the Home Ministry's perceived lack of assistance during the incident. Prior to this, Balen had expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government when Kathmandu's garbage collection was interrupted for two months. Following the confrontation with the riverbank settlers, tensions between the federal government and the Kathmandu metropolitan office escalated, eventually leading Balen to instruct the cessation of garbage collection from Singha Durbar, the seat of the federal government.^[18]

Education

Kathmandu Metro under Mayor Balen launched 'Textbook-free-Friday' program in community schools which aimed at helping students learn technical skills and engage in other extracurricular activities.^[19]

The Kathmandu Municipal Government, led by Shah, has faced criticism from organizations like Human Rights Watch due to allegations of employing disproportionate use of force against street vendors.^[20] His policies have also led to the emergence of small-scale protests by social activists, triggered by the circulation of videos showing the municipal police chasing down, beating and confiscating vendors' properties.^[21] Critics of Shah's crackdown on street vendors argue that since nearly half of the country's economy relies on informal businesses, such actions adversely impact the standard of living of the urban poor without offering viable alternative solutions.^[22]

In September 2023, the political activist known as Iih stood for 199 hours outside Kathmandu City Hall, urging the mayor to allow street vendors to conduct business without interference until an alternative solution could be proposed. Support for the protest came from figures like Kathmandu-4 MP Gagan Thapa, former Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, and former Finance Minister Surendra Pandey. Addressing the protest, Mayor Shah stated on Facebook that he was enforcing existing laws established by lawmakers such as MP Thapa. He also argued that restricting street vendors does not effectively address poverty and expressed concern about the injustice faced by those whose property had been confiscated during road expansion initiatives of the city. The protest concluded with an agreement between Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Iih, aiming to develop an alternative plan for street vendors, temporary permits for specific areas and times, and the return of confiscated goods to their owners.^[23][24]

Mayor Shah of Kathmandu often fights with the national government and big political groups. A major incident happened when his wife's car was stopped for a security check; he got angry and threatened to burn down Singha Durbar, the main government building. He also once stopped collecting trash from Singha Durbar to protest a lack of help with managing waste and people living in slums. He frequently argues with Politicials like KP Sharma Oli, and recently, he posted a very critical message online about major political parties and other countries like the US, India, and China, which he later removed.^[25]

Shah uses strong and sometimes aggressive methods to manage the city. He has removed illegal buildings, uncovered the hidden Tukucha River, and cleared street vendors. ^[26]

He put a "Greater Nepal" map in his office, which upset India. He also banned Indian movies in Kathmandu temporarily after one film said "Sita is the daughter of India," ignoring a court order to lift the ban.^[27]

In Genzi Protest of Nepal the Nepal Student Union (NSU), the student wing of the Nepali Congress party, filed a police complaint against Shah, accusing him of inciting the violence that damaged national heritage sites. The KMC faced widespread criticism for allegedly failing to deploy adequate measures to protect major structures during the most violent periods of the unrest. Shah rejected these claims, stating that city teams worked around the clock to ensure public safety and protect infrastructure.^[28]

Shah is known for his support of the Greater Nepal theory that claims states of Northeast India to be "returned" to Nepal. In 2023, he placed a map of Greater Nepal in his office, which gained outrage in India.^[1][2]

Shah sparked controversy when he imposed a ban on screening Indian movies within the city limits, demanding the removal of the line "Sita is the daughter of India" from the movie Adipurush. In response to his decision, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court, leading to the issuance of an interim order by the Patan High Court against Shah's ban. In defiance of the court's order, Shah took to Facebook, stating his refusal to comply, arguing that the court's decision was contrary to the country's interests, and further accusing both the federal government and the courts of being under the influence of India.^[29][30] Following Shah's statement on Facebook, a writ petition was subsequently filed in the Supreme Court, accusing him of contempt of court.^[31] Despite his outburst on social media, Shah relented the very next day and allowed the screening of Indian films in Kathmandu.

Shah is married to Sabina Kafle, a public health professional.^[6] He lives with his family in Gairigaun, Tinkune.^[6]

Balen Shah had been mulling over his plans for candidacy since 2020 and on 17 December 2021 announced that he would be running for the mayoral race as an independent candidate through his Facebook Page.^[32][6] His campaign focused on waste management, road traffic control, public service delivery, anti-corruption, and preservation of cultural heritage of the city.^[3]

Shah was elected on 26 May 2022, winning 38.6% of the votes cast. He defeated Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Shrestha and former mayor and CPN (UML) candidate Keshav Sthapit by a margin of over 23,000 votes.^[33]

Shah was sworn in as mayor on 30 May 2022 and administered the oath of office to other members of the municipal assembly elected at the elections.^[34]

TIME Magazine included Shah in ‘The 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future’ list of 2023.^[36][37]

• Balen Shah at IMDb