Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) senior leader Balendra (Balen) Shah filed his nomination from Jhapa-5 on Tuesday, January 20, for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5.
Shah submitted his candidacy papers at the Election Officer’s office in Damak Municipality-8, in line with the election schedule. Bheshraj Bhattarai proposed his nomination, while Bhuminanda Baral seconded it.
He will face former prime minister and CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli, as well as Ranjit Tamang of the Nepali Communist Party. The contest is expected to be closely watched, particularly the face-off between Shah and Oli on Oli’s home turf.
He arrived at the election office accompanied by supporters and a musical band.
Shah, who won the Kathmandu mayoral election in 2022 as an independent candidate, resigned from the post on Sunday, January 18. He formally entered party politics the same day by joining the RSP.
On December 28, 2025, Shah and the RSP signed a seven-point agreement. Under the deal, party chair Rabi Lamichhane retained leadership of the party, while Shah was named the RSP’s future prime ministerial candidate.
On Monday, Shah addressed a large gathering of RSP supporters at Tirhutiya Gachhi in Dhanusha, marking the launch of the party’s election campaign from Madhesh.
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