Kathmandu: The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in Nepal on Thursday elected senior leader Balendra Shah as its parliamentary party leader, paving the way for him to be the country’s new Prime Minister.
The party, which contested the elections with Shah as its Prime Ministerial candidate, secured a thumping victory in the March 5 parliamentary elections, winning 182 out of 275 seats in the House of Representatives.
Shah is all set to take the oath of office as Prime Minister of Nepal on Friday before President Ramchandra Paudel at a special function that will also include Hindu rituals.
A central committee meeting of the RSP held on Thursday decided to appoint Shah, the former Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, as its parliamentary party leader following the conclusion of the swearing-in ceremony of lawmakers on Thursday.
“The proposal by President Rabi Lamichhane to nominate senior leader Balendra Shah as the parliamentary party leader and the party’s candidate for Prime Minister has been unanimously approved by both the central committee and the parliamentary party,” the RSP said in a statement. As per the party’s statute, only the parliamentary party leader can become Prime Minister.
As per an agreement reached between RSP President Rabi Lamichhane and Shah on December 28 last year, the party formally endorsed Shah for the role with the backing of its 182 lawmakers.
In the elections, Shah defeated former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli by a wide margin of 49,614 votes, securing 68,348 votes against Oli’s 18,734. This marks the highest number of votes secured by any candidate in Nepal’s parliamentary elections since 1991.
Shah is set to take the Prime Ministerial oath in a manner different from usual practice. The ceremony has been scheduled for 12:34 pm – symbolically counting as 1-2-3-4 – during which seven conch players will perform shankhnaad, a ritual believed to ensure the success of auspicious beginnings.
Simultaneously, other rituals will be performed as he takes the oath. A group of 108 Batuks (Vedic priests) will recite Swasti Shanti, while 16 Buddhist monks will chant the Ashtamangala, both considered auspicious in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Shah entered politics in 2022, when he ran for Mayor of Kathmandu and won as an independent candidate.
Born on April 27, 1990, in Kathmandu into a Madhesi family that valued education and culture, Shah completed his bachelor’s degree in Kathmandu before pursuing a master’s degree in Structural Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University in India.
His academic background in engineering gave him a practical understanding of infrastructure, urban development, and public works, which helped shape his governance approach during his tenure as Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
Shah’s journey reflects the rise of a new-generation politician who has emerged rapidly onto Nepal’s national political scene in recent years.
(IANS)
