Kathmandu, December 25 : Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) has been intensely busy with back-to-back political meetings since Thursday morning, as he ramps up efforts to forge a new political alliance targeting the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5, 2026.

Balen is actively working to unite leaders from various parties, Gen Z representatives, and former members of the Bibeksheel Sajha Party under the banner of the Desh Bikash Party (Country Development Party), with plans to field candidates nationwide through this platform.

These marathon meetings are being held at the Kupandole residence in Lalitpur belonging to his close aide, Kumar Byanjankar (also known as Kumar Ben).

The day started with Balen’s first meeting of the morning with Energy Minister Kulman Ghising.

Sources close to Balen indicate that an alliance between Ghising – who recently launched the Ujyalo Nepal Party – and Balen is nearly finalized. Discussions are ongoing about deactivating Ujyalo Nepal Party and having Ghising join Balen’s Desh Bikash Party instead. If no agreement is reached, a merger between the two parties remains an open option.

The Desh Bikash Party is already registered with the Election Commission, with Sandhya Khanal as its chairperson and the ‘lauro’ (walking stick) as its election symbol – the same symbol under which Balen won the Kathmandu mayoral election in 2022.

Later in the day, after meeting Balen, Kulman Ghising inaugurated his party’s office and stated, “All new forces must come together and move forward united.”

Following the meeting with Ghising, Balen met with Nepali Congress leader Sunil Sharma, a former lawmaker elected from Morang-3.

Next on Balen’s schedule was Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane.

Balen’s surge in political consultations gained momentum after a one-on-one meeting with Lamichhane on Monday night, signaling intensified efforts to build alternative political coalitions post the Gen Z movement.

The Day Balen and Rabi Held a 6-Hour Meeting

On the very day that Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane held a 6-hour-long meeting, RSP leader Shishir Khanal appeared on Kantipur Television’s Fireside program that evening. In an interview with journalist Rupesh Shrestha, Khanal stated that the RSP could put forward Balen as a prime ministerial candidate.

When asked, “Does the RSP see Mayor Balen Shah as a viable figure to nominate as a prime ministerial candidate?” Khanal replied, “Absolutely. For us, the party chairman (Rabi Lamichhane) is the natural claimant. Beyond that, Kulman Ghising is an extremely natural candidate. Another equally natural candidate is Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah.”

After meeting Shishir, Balen held discussions with Gen Z representatives including Raksha Bam, Purushottam Yadav, Yujan Rajbhandari, Rohan Raj Dangal, James Karki, Sudan Gurung, and others.

During these talks, Balen told them that he had begun a new chapter in politics with them, according to Gen Z leader Pradeep Gyawali.

“We are talking about an alternative force. We have started a new chapter in politics. Everyone must come together,” Gyawali quoted Mayor Shah as saying. “Gen Z members should also unite and join us.”

Some Gen Z representatives raised the issue of the agreement reached with the government, Gyawali added.

In that meeting, Sudan Gurung, coordinator of “Hami Nepal,” also presented his views.

“There needs to be an agreement between Gen Z and the President; otherwise, it will be difficult. We Gen Z members cannot go separately either. It’s not for me to take alone—whoever can coordinate should do so,” a Gen Z representative quoted Sudan as saying.

According to Gen Z representative Yujan Rajbhandari, the Mayor urged everyone to step forward.

“He said that all those with clean images should come forward and unite,” Rajbhandari said.

Nepal Gen Z Front coordinator Raksha Bam also shared her views.

“As we enter politics, we are just in our mid-twenties. We are sacrificing a lot to come here. This is a big thing for us. We need to move forward together on many issues,” Rajbhandari quoted Bam.

Jen Force coordinator Rohan Raj Dangal said that Balen briefed them on preparations to move forward together with Rabi Lamichhane and Kulman Ghising.

“Rabi and Kulman are positive about coming together in one place. You should also participate positively in this,” Dangal quoted Balen.

Balen also told the Gen Z group that those who have completed 25 years of age would be fielded as candidates in the elections.

“We can discuss how to assign responsibilities to everyone,” Balen reportedly told the Gen Z members.

After the meeting with Gen Z representatives, around 4:30 PM, he held talks with Progressive Democratic Party (Pralopa) leader and former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai.

Bhattarai told Balen that he should coordinate to form a new alternative force. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Bhattarai emphasized that new and alternative forces must unite.

“What I have been saying all along is that we need to form and move forward with a new alternative force. I told Balen the same thing—that you should coordinate to build a new alternative force,” Bhattarai said.

After Bhattarai, Balen met with Hamro Nepal Party Chairman Khagendra Sunar.

In that meeting, Balen said he had entered politics and needed the support and cooperation of new parties. “I have entered politics—what support and cooperation do you have?” Sunar said Balen asked him.

They discussed uniting new parties to move forward on issues of corruption and good governance raised by the Gen Z group, Sunar added.

Through these marathon meetings starting from the morning, Mayor Balen has not only clearly signaled his entry into parliamentary politics but has also called on all new forces to unite and contest the elections together.

“I have now entered active politics—let’s all unite and go to the elections,” a leader who participated in various rounds of discussions with Balen quoted him as telling Nepalpage.

The leader added that Balen has been asking the Gen Z representatives and leaders he invited, “You will support me in this political campaign, right?”

“I might contest from one constituency, but if only I run, no change can be brought. I need people to contest in the remaining 164 seats. I also need more people for the proportional representation seats. For this, I need the support and cooperation of everyone who can or wants to join this campaign,” Balen has been saying during the meetings.

One key reason Balen is intensifying these discussions is the approaching deadline for submitting the proportional representation closed list.

The closed list for proportional representation must be submitted to the Election Commission on December 28 and 29 (Poush 13 and 14). Sources say the Desh Bikash Party is preparing to finalize candidates for 110 constituencies by Saturday and submit the list to the commission.

Previously, Balen has held discussions with Nepali Congress leader Chandra Bhandari, Citizen Liberation Party (Naupa) patron Resham Chaudhary, Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Gyanendra Shahi, Janamat Party’s CK Raut, physician Dr. Bhagwan Koirala, and others.

As Nepal prepares for the March 2026 polls amid calls for uniting emerging and alternative forces, Balen’s marathon engagements highlight a push for broader consolidation among youth-backed and independent leaders challenging traditional parties.