Balendra Shah ‘Balen’ will be sworn in as theyoungest Prime Minister of Nepal today, 27 March. Shah was elected on Thursday as the leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Parliamentary party.
The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, senior leader of the RSP, which won a landslide victory in the 5 March poll, will also be the first person from the Madhes region to hold the top executive post in the country.
Ahead of his swearing-in, the prime minister-in-waiting released his first post-election message via a rap song on Thursday, urging unity in the Hilamayan nation.
“The strength of unity is my national power,” Shah, better known as Balen, sang in the song titled ‘Jay Mahakali’, which racked up tens of thousands of views within minutes of its release on social media and streaming platforms.
“Undivided Nepali, this time, history is being made,” he added, singing in Nepali.
The song features scenes from his election campaign. The song attracted 1.5 lakh viewers in just 2 hours after its release on YouTube. The video was actually released a decade ago, but it was made public on March 26, with additional material from his election campaign. By Friday morning, the song had over 2 million views.
Shah has remained silent publicly since his RSP won the election, the first polls since a deadly youth-led uprising in September 2025 toppled the government.
At least 77 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising, which began over a brief social media ban but tapped into longstanding fury over economic hardship.
“My heart is full of courage, my red blood is boiling; my brothers stand with me, this time we will rise,” he sang, over a video of him campaigning for election.
“May my breath not run out, I will run like a leopard,” he added.
What time will Balen take oath?
Balen is likely to form a small cabinet with 15-18 ministers.
A unique blend of Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions will feature during Balens’ swearing-in ceremony at the President’s Office in Sheetal Niwas at the auspicious time of 12.34 pm (12.19 pm IST), according to officials at the President’s Office quoted by news agencies.
The ceremony will comprise elaborate religious rituals, including Shankhanad (conch blowing) by seven brahmins, recitation of Vedic hymns or Swasti Bachan by 108 Hindu Batuks or young brahmins and Mangal Bachan or recitation of Buddhist scripture by 107 Lamas, according to sources close to Balen quoted by news agencies.
What happened in 5 March Elections?
The RSP that had projected Balen as the prime ministerial candidate, secured a massive 182 seats out of a total 275 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR), making it eligible to form a majority government under Article 76 (1) of the Constitution.
Of the 275 members of the HoR, 165 are elected through direct voting and 110 through proportionate voting.
Balen, a rapper-turned-politician, defeated four-time prime minister K P Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency, a long-standing stronghold of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), by a huge margin.
By securing more seats than the simple majority (138 seats), enough to form a government, the RSP is just two short of a two-thirds majority that is required in case his party wants to amend the constitution.
Sushila Karki bids farewell
Shortly after his rap song was released, the outgoing interim prime minister bid farewell to the nation in a televised broadcast.
Sushila Karki, 73, a former chief justice who had led the caretaker administration for six months, said the country’s future lay in the hands of a younger generation.
“I am confident that the new government to be formed under the leadership of the youth will work towards ending corruption in the country, establishing good governance, creating jobs within the country, economic development and social justice,” she said.
My heart is full of courage, my red blood is boiling; my brothers stand with me, this time we will rise.
Karki, who had ordered an investigation into the crackdown on protesters, said in her statement Thursday that a report with the findings would be released. She did not give further details.
