3 min readSep 10, 2025 08:26 AM IST
First published on: Sep 9, 2025 at 11:15 PM IST
Minutes after the resignation of Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli amid deadly protests, Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, called on the Gen Z protesters to exercise restrain.
In a Facebook post, Mayor Shah acknowledged that the ongoing demonstrations are “entirely a Gen Z movement” and added that the resignation of the government has already been secured.
“Dear Gen Z, your demand for the resignation of the government has been met. Now it is time to remain restrained,” he wrote.
Shah also warned against further damage to public and private property, stating, “The loss of the country’s wealth is, in reality, a loss to our own property. It is now essential that we all act with restraint.”
Possible successor?
Who will succeed Oli as interim Prime Minister is a tricky question. If the appeals being made by some of the young protesters are any indicator, Shah, a rapper who studied structural engineering and later became the Mayor of Kathmandu, is a likely contender to succeed.
The week-long demonstrations, led largely by Gen Z, erupted after the government imposed a ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. The unrest turned violent on Monday, leaving at least 19 people dead and hundreds injured across the country. In Kathmandu alone, 18 protesters—many students in school and college uniforms—lost their lives.
Amid the turmoil, Balendra Shah voiced his support for the movement. In a earlier Facebook post, he acknowledged that while he could not participate directly due to the age cap for the Gen Z rally, he felt it was crucial to listen to the voices of young demonstrators.
“The rally is clearly a spontaneous movement of Gen Z, for whom even I may seem old,” Shah wrote. “I want to understand their aspirations, objectives, and thinking. Political parties, leaders, activists, lawmakers, and campaigners should not try to co-opt this rally for their own interests.” He added that while he would not attend in person, he gave the youth his “full support.”
Who is Balendra Shah?
Born in Kathmandu in 1990, Balendra Shah studied civil engineering in Nepal before completing a master’s in structural engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University in India. Prior to his political career, he was active in Nepal’s underground hip-hop scene, using his music to address issues like corruption and social inequality.
Shah entered politics as an independent candidate and won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral election with more than 61,000 votes, defeating candidates from established political parties. He is married to Sabina Kafle and continues to engage with the public via social media, regularly commenting on civic and political issues.
Shah has been an opponent of Oli, and has publicly called him corrupt. He said since he was above age 28, he would not lead the movement. It is said he turned down the Gen Z appeal to lead, and asked them instead to lead the movement themselves.
Shah, known as Balen, is the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.(X/@ShahBalen) 
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