Mayor Balen resigns to contest March 5 elections

Despite questions on delivery, his corruption-free record stands out, say analysts.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayor, Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, who stunned traditional heavyweights in the 2022 local elections, resigned Sunday to contest the March 5 snap parliamentary elections. He stepped down from the country’s largest and most influential mayoralty, leaving office three and a half years into his five-year term.