Balen Shah Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Full Name	Balendra Shah
Nickname	Balen
Profession(s)	• Politician • Rapper • Structural Engineer
Famous for	Being 15th mayor of Kathmandu, Nepal
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 10" (178 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Politics
Political Party	Independent
Political Journey	In 2022, elected as Mayor of Kathmandu as independent candidate
Personal Life
Date of Birth	27 April 1990 (Friday)
Age (as of 2025)	35 Years
Birthplace	Naradevi, Kathmandu, Nepal
Zodiac sign	Taurus
Nationality	Nepali
Hometown	Kathmandu , Nepal
School	V.S. Niketan Higher Secondary School, Kathmandu
College/University	• Himalayan Whitehouse International College, Kathmandu, Nepal • Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Karnataka, India
Educational Qualification(s)	• A bachelor's degree (BE) in Civil Engineering from Himalayan Whitehouse International College • A master's degree (MTech) in Structural Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Chhetri
Ethnicity	Madheshi
Hobbies	Singing, Reading, Travelling
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • YouTube • Twitter • LinkedIn
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Sabina Kafle
Children	Son- None Daughter- 1
Parents	Father- Ram Narayan Shah (Government Official) Mother- Dhruv Devi Shah

Some Lesser Known Facts About Balen Shah

• Balen Shah was born in Naradevi, Kathmandu, to a Madhesi family of Maithil origin in Nepal.

• He belongs to a Newar Buddhist community that takes part in Buddhist Gunla festival celebrations in Nepal.

• Balen Shah is the youngest son of his parents. His parents moved to Kathmandu from the Mahottari District of Madhesh Province after his father was posted to Naradevi Ayurvedic Hospital.

• Balen has over 10 years of experience as a civil and structural engineer. After completing his master’s degree, he started his professional career with Asian Construction Company Pvt. Limited as a bridge engineer. Since then, he had worked in various construction firms.

• From an early age, Baren was interested in music and poetry. When he was in class ninth grade, he wrote a song titled Sadak Balak, which he released in 2012.

• Before entering politics, Balen Shah was a well-known figure in Nepal’s underground hip-hop scene. As a rapper and lyricist, he often talks about the problems people face in Nepal. His unique ability to speak the truth through music made him popular in Nepal, especially among the youth.

• In 2013, he won the YouTube battle rap series Raw Barz Season 2 and became very popular among Nepohop fans in Nepal.

• In 2017, Balen founded a construction firm named Balen Consulting & Construction Pvt. Ltd.

• In December 2021, Balen Shah, through his Facebook page, announced his candidacy for the mayoral race as an independent candidate.

• On 26 May 2022, Shah was elected as the 15th Mayor of Kathmandu. He defeated Nepali Congress candidate Sirjana Shrestha and former mayor and CPN (UML) candidate Keshav Sthapit by a margin of over 23,000 votes. On 30 May 2022, he was sworn in as mayor of Kathmandu.
  

  Balen Shah, while taking the oath as the Mayor of Kathmandu

• After winning the mayor seat, Shah became the first independent candidate even win a mayor seat in Kathmandu.

• In his election campaign, he mainly focused on waste management, road traffic control, public service delivery, anti-corruption, and preservation of the cultural heritage of Kathmandu.

• After becoming mayor, one of the major decisions he took was introducing live telecasts of municipal council meetings, which was one of the first such moves that was implemented in Kathmandu.

• Under the leadership of Balen, Kathmandu Metro launched a campaign named ‘Textbook-free-Friday’ program in community schools, which helped underprivileged students to learn technical skills and engage in other extracurricular activities.

• In July 2022, Balen Shah faced a controversy over the use of a sacred crown in a hip-hop reality TV show named Nephopko Shreepech, in which he had participated as a judge.

• In September 2023, Balen Shah faced criticism for using force against street vendors in Kathmandu, which led to protests. Activist Iih protested for 199 hours outside City Hall, supported by leaders like Gagan Thapa, Kamal Thapa, and Surendra Pandey. The protest ended with a deal to make new plans for vendors, give temporary permits, and return seized goods.

• Balen is known for his support of the Greater Nepal theory that claims states of Northeast India belong to Nepal and India should return them to Nepal. In 2023, he placed a map of Greater Nepal in his office, which raised controversy between India and Nepal.
  

  Balen Shah, while sitting in his office

• Balen Shah had also imposed a ban on the screening of the indian film Adipurush (2023) and demanded the removal of the line ” Sita is the daughter of India.” The Patan High Court stopped his ban, but Shah opposed the order on Facebook, accusing the government and courts of being influenced by India. A contempt of court case was also filed against him. Later, he allowed the screening of the film in Kathmandu.

• In 2023, he was also featured on TIME Magazine in its ‘The 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future’ list.

• In the wake of the 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests, in Nepal that led to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s resignation, Balen emerged as a symbol of youth leadership and was seen as a potential interim Prime Minister.

• Balen Shah showed his support for the Gen Z protesters. Due to the 28-year age cap set by the organiser, he could not attend the protest, so he showed his support on social media. In a Facebook post, he mentioned that,

The rally is clearly a spontaneous movement of Gen-Z, for whom even I may seem old. I want to understand their aspirations, objectives and thinking. Political parties, leaders, activists, lawmakers and campaigners should not be oversmart to use this rally for their own interests.”

• As of September 2025, along with his political career, he is also serving as Deputy General Manager of Padma Group of Companies, Kathmandu.

• Balen Shah is an avid animal lover.