Balen decides to stay on as Kathmandu Mayor

KATHMANDU: Amid earlier reports that he would resign today, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) has decided to remain in office.

Shah is set to contest the upcoming House of Representatives (HoR) elections as a candidate of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). He had initially planned to step down from the mayoral position to participate in the elections.

However, after consulting legal experts, Shah decided against resigning. A member of his secretariat said that Shah learned of a legal provision under which a mayor is automatically relieved of office upon registering as a candidate in the HoR elections. Based on this understanding, he concluded that submitting a formal resignation was unnecessary.

Despite this decision, Shah will attend the RSP central committee meeting for the first time today, according to party spokesperson Manish Jha. Shah is a senior leader of the party.

The RSP central committee meeting is scheduled for 2:00 pm today at the party’s central office in Banasthali, Kathmandu, and Shah is expected to be present.