Kathmandu, March 27
Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, widely known as Balen, was sworn in as Nepal’s 47th Prime Minister on Friday, becoming the country’s youngest democratically elected leader and the first from the Madhes region to hold the post. The 35-year-old leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) took the oath of office at the President’s Office in Sheetal Niwas, where President Ram Chandra Paudel administered the ceremony.
Shah’s appointment comes about six months after the government led by former prime minister K P Sharma Oli was removed following a youth-led protest movement that shook Nepal and triggered a major political shift. Earlier in the day, President Paudel formally appointed Shah under Article 76(1) of Nepal’s Constitution.
A ceremony blending Hindu and Buddhist traditions marked the swearing-in, including conch blowing, Vedic recitations and Buddhist prayers by monks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shah, saying he looked forward to working closely with him to strengthen ties between the two neighbours.
In a message on X, Modi said Shah’s appointment reflected the trust placed in his leadership by the people of Nepal and expressed hope of taking India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to “even greater heights”.
Nepal remains strategically important to India, with the two countries sharing deep economic, cultural and people-to-people ties. Landlocked Nepal also depends heavily on India for trade access and the movement of goods.
Shah is the first democratically elected prime minister to take office since the Oli government was ousted in September last year after protests led by young people over corruption, nepotism and a social media ban turned violent.
Following Oli’s removal, former chief justice Sushila Karki served as interim prime minister. She congratulated Shah after the ceremony and said she hoped he would carry forward the public mandate with energy and determination.
Shah’s RSP secured a sweeping victory in the March 5 general election, winning 182 of the 275 seats in the House of Representatives and paving the way for a majority government.
The result marked a dramatic collapse in support for Nepal’s traditional political parties, with the Nepali Congress reduced to 38 seats and the CPN-UML to 25.
Shah defeated former prime minister K P Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency, long regarded as a stronghold of the CPN-UML.
Alongside the prime minister, several ministers were also sworn in, including Swarnim Wagle as finance minister, Shisir Khanal as foreign minister and Sudan Gurung as home minister.
Shah will also retain charge of the defence ministry and the industry, commerce and supplies ministry.
