Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended his warm congratulations to Mr. Balendra Shah on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal. In his X post, Modi said your appointment reflects the trust reposed in your leadership by the people of Nepal. I look forward to working closely with you to take India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights for the mutual benefit of our two peoples.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader Balendra Shah was sworn in as Prime Minister of Nepal today. President Ramchandra Poudel administered the oath of office and secrecy to Prime Minister Balendra Shah at a formal ceremony attended by senior political leaders, government officials, and distinguished guests. The swearing-in ceremony was held at the President’s Office in Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu at 12:34 pm local time. According to reports the oath ceremony, held in a Vedic–Sanatan tradition for the first time, featured conch blowing from seven conches, recitations by 108 Batuks and chants by 108 Buddhist monks. Balendra Shah was elected as the leader of the RSP Parliamentary party yesterday, paving his way to become Nepal’s youngest elected prime minister. His party, RSP, secured a landslide victory in the March 5 parliamentary poll. The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician is the first person from the Madhes region to hold the top executive post in the country. Nepal chose former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen and his RSP to form the next government, decimating the traditional parties in the first general elections since last year’s violent Gen Z protests that sought generational change and a corruption-free regime.

The RSP that had projected Balen as the prime ministerial candidate secured a massive 182 seats out of a total of 275 seats in the House of Representatives. Of the 275 members of the House of Representatives, 165 are elected through direct voting and 110 through proportional voting. Balen defeated four-time prime minister K P Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5 constituency, a long-standing stronghold of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), by a huge margin.

Soon after taking charge, Prime Minister Shah announced his cabinet, bringing together a mix of experienced leaders and fresh faces. He retained the Ministry of Defense and Industry portfolio, signaling continuity in key economic and national security policies under his leadership. The new team reflects his intent to balance political experience with new energy, signaling a focus on reform and effective governance. In his brief remarks following the ceremony, Shah emphasized transparency, accountability, and public service as the core priorities of his administration. He expressed commitment to addressing long-standing challenges, improving service delivery, and strengthening public trust in government institutions. The formation of the new cabinet is expected to play a crucial role in shaping policy direction and accelerating development efforts. Observers note that the coming weeks will be critical as the new leadership begins to outline its agenda and take initial decisions. With public expectations running high, all eyes are now on how the new government will navigate political dynamics while delivering on its promises of change and progress.