Nepal crisis: All eyes now on Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah after KP Sharma Oli resigns

Following Oli's resignation, all eyes are now on Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, with online campaigns encouraging him to head the country as the next prime minister.

The protests intensified on Tuesday with demonstrators setting fire to the private residences of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and President Ram Chandra Poudel, as public anger over corruption, governance failures and a controversial social media ban spiraled into widespread unrest.

According to The Kathmandu Post, protesters also torched the ruling Nepali Congress party’s central office in Sanepa and vandalised the houses of former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Sher Bahadur Deuba, along with Energy Minister Deepak Khadka’s residence.

The week-long demonstrations erupted after the Oli government imposed a sweeping ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, sparking outrage among Gen Z, who considered the move a curb on free expression.

The unrest turned deadly when police opened fire on demonstrators. At least 19 people were killed nationwide, with 18 deaths in Kathmandu alone, and hundreds more were injured.

Media reports, quoting witnesses, reported that several of the victims were students, dressed in their school and college uniforms.

Who is Balen Shah?

Attention has now turned to Kathmandu’s mayor, Balendra Shah, a 33-year-old rapper-turned-politician popularly known as Balen, who has captured the imagination of the country’s youth.

Online campaigns have urged him to step in as Nepal’s next prime minister. The campaign gained momentum within hours of Oli’s resignation.

Though he has not declared any ambition for the post, Shah has been vocal about his support for the protesters.

In a Facebook post, he praised the movement as “spontaneous” and urged political actors not to exploit it.

“The rally is clearly a spontaneous movement of Gen-Z, for whom even I may seem old,” he wrote. “I want to understand their aspirations, objectives and thinking. Political parties, leaders, activists, lawmakers and campaigners should not be oversmart to use this rally for their own interests.”

He added that while he could not attend the rallies, which capped participation at those under 28, his “full support” lay with the youth.

Shah, who won the mayoral seat of Kathmandu in 2022 as an independent, is seen as an outsider in Nepal’s entrenched party politics.

His rise has been fueled by frustration with traditional parties, making him a natural focal point for a generation demanding change.

A generation at a crossroads

Nepal’s Gen Z, those born after 1997, make up nearly 30% of the population. Having grown up in a republic established after the 2006 abolition of the monarchy, they are digitally native, politically restless, and skeptical of the old guard.

Their protests are not just about social media censorship but reflect an uprising against unemployment, brain drain, and poor governance.

According to the Department of Foreign Employment, hundreds of thousands of young Nepalis leave the country each year to seek employment abroad.

What comes next?

Oli’s resignation has left a vacuum at the center of Nepal’s fragile politics. The ruling coalition is struggling to find a replacement, but with no single party commanding overwhelming support, the path forward is uncertain.

The opposition is already maneuvering, and concerns are growing about a protracted power struggle.

Meanwhile, protesters vow to stay on the streets until meaningful changes are promised.