Kathmandu-Centric Governance Keeps Provinces Weak: Balen

The rapper-turned-politician Balendra (Balen) Shah, who is set to challenge CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli in the Jhapa-5 constituency in the March 5 polls, said on Monday, January 19, that provincial governments will remain weak as long as administrative decisions require approval from Kathmandu.

Shah was speaking at a mass gathering of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in Tirhutiya Gachi, Dhanusha, as the party launched its election campaign from Madhesh.

Speaking in Maithili, a local dialect, he remarked, “One need not travel to Kathmandu to demand rights, but to visit Pashupati and Swayambhunath.”

The former Kathmandu mayor, delivering his first public address after resigning from office on Sunday and officially joining the RSP, recalled the challenges of addressing the demands of sugarcane farmers, who must travel to Kathmandu every year to claim payment for their produce.

RSP has nominated Shah as its prime ministerial candidate.

Citing his tenure as Kathmandu mayor, Shah highlighted initiatives such as educating over 20,000 students, providing free treatment to 10% of patients, and supplying ambulances to 35 municipalities — examples he described as “socialism in practice.”

“If I could do this as mayor, what could I achieve as prime minister?” he asked the massive crowd.

Shah also emphasized infrastructure and heritage conservation efforts in Kathmandu, including the restoration of temples and ponds, and said similar work is needed in Janakpur. He highlighted Janakpur’s potential to receive as many tourists as Nepal’s – one million annual visitors, pledging to develop Madhesh Province alongside the rest of the country.

He urged voters to look beyond his Madhesi identity and focus on choosing the right person to form a capable government.

RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane, addressing the crowd after Shah, expressed confidence in Balen’s vision for the country. Lamichhane stressed that the party is “Nepal-centric” rather than representing any regional bloc, adding that support in Madhesh is growing and that the party has gained momentum despite entering the region later.

On December 28, 2025 Shah and the RSP signed a seven-point agreement, under which Lamichhane continued to lead the party while Shah was nominated as the future prime minister.

Following the gathering, Lamichhane formally presented Shah with the party ticket for the Jhapa-5 constituency.