Kathmandu, March 27: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Senior Leader Balendra Shah was sworn in amid a special function at the President’s Office, Sheetal Niwas, on Friday. President Ramchandra Paudel administered the oath of office and secrecy.
The swearing-in ceremony included the performance of shankhanaad (blowing of conch shells). In addition, swastishanti recitation was performed by 108 Batuks, while Buddhist monks conducted ashtamangal chanting.
This marks the first time a leader from the Madhesi community has become prime minister.
Shah won the recently concluded March 5 parliamentary elections from the Jhapa constituency-5 under the first-past-the-post system, defeating a heavyweight KP Sharma Oli, Chairperson of the CPN-UML. The constituency was considered to be a stronghold of Oli.
A rapper and structural engineer, Shah shot to fame after he pulled off an upset in the 2022 local elections as an independent, defeating candidates from legacy parties by overwhelming margins to become the mayor of Kathmandu, the country’s most populous metropolis.
Shah served as mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City from May 2022 until his resignation in January 2026 and entered national politics by formally joining the RSP at the end of 2025.
Following Shah’s swearing-in, President Paudel also administered the oath to 14 other ministers. RSP vice-chair Swarnim Wagle has become the minister for Finance. He is an expert on economic affairs and was elected twice from Tanahun-1 to the House of Representatives, including the March 5 parliamentary elections.
Sudan Gurung, who rose to prominence during the Gen Z movement, has become the minister for home,
Shishir Khanal has been bestowed with the foreign ministry. He heads the RSP’s foreign affairs department.
Similarly, Khadka Raj (Ganesh) Paudel has been appointed the minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. A writer, he was elected from Kaski-1. Dipak Sah from Mahottari has taken charge as minister for Labour and Employment.
Sasmit Pokharel, elected from Kathmandu-5, has been appointed as the minister for Education, Science and Technology, and Youth and Sports. Bikram Timilsina has been appointed to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, while Pratibha Rawal serves as the minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, and Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation. She has a background in journalism and was elected under the proportional representation system. Rawal is also the party’s co-spokesperson.
Biraj Bhakta Shrestha is the minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation in the Shah Cabinet. A Kathmandu-based leader, he previously served as the parliamentary party leader of the RSP.
Gita Chaudhary is the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and Forest and Environment. She was elected under proportional representation and joined the RSP shortly before the elections. She also serves as an advocate.
Sobita Gautam has become the minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. A legal expert, she defeated former Bharatpur mayor Renu Dahal in Chitwan-3 in the March 5 parliamentary elections.
Sita Badi has taken charge of the Ministry for Women, Children and Senior Citizens, while Sunil Lamsal is the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Urban Development. Nisha Mehata has become Minister for Health and Population, and Water Supply.
-The Kathmandu Post
