Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) has resigned from office. Shah stepped down to register his candidacy for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5 2026. He is preparing to contest against former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli from Jhapa Constituency No. 5.
Although the resignation process was set according to a fixed schedule, there was some delay earlier. However, Shah submitted his resignation today to fully focus on the remaining election preparations. He was elected mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City as an independent candidate in the 2022 local elections.
Authorities have confirmed that the mayor’s secretariat submitted the resignation letter to the deputy mayor’s office. In the letter, Shah stated that he was stepping down in accordance with the Constitution of Nepal 2015 and the Local Government Operation Act 2017. Following his resignation, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol has assumed the role of acting mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
