Balen Shah's Political Path: A Question of Style and Substance

The rise of Balen Shah in Nepali politics is an unusual political event in itself. In a situation where established parties and their old leaders have dominated politics for a long time, a person from a non-traditional background first established himself in the leadership of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and then became a decisive force in federal politics. With his rise, great hope was also born in Nepali society – that the way of doing politics will change, the style of running the government will change, and the political despair that the public has been experiencing for years will end.

Balen Shah's biggest political capital is this hope. However, after becoming Prime Minister, observing his working style closely, another question has arisen in the mind – is Balen really trying to build a new political culture, or is he rebranding the old Panchayat style and selling it?