Balendra Shah sworn in as Prime Minister of Nepal
On 27 March 2026 Rastriya Swatantra Party leader and former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal's 43rd Prime Minister by President Ramchandra Paudel; PM Modi congratulated him.
Summary
Balendra (Balen) Shah, senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and former mayor of Kathmandu, was appointed Prime Minister under Article 76(1) of Nepal's Constitution and sworn in by President Ramchandra Paudel at Sheetal Niwas on 27 March 2026. The RSP won 182 of 275 seats in the 5 March elections; Shah won Jhapa-5, defeating CPN-UML chair K. P. Sharma Oli. He is Nepal's 43rd PM and the first from the Madhesi community. PM Narendra Modi congratulated him and said he looked forward to taking India-Nepal ties to greater heights.
Key facts
- New PM
- Balendra (Balen) Shah, Rastriya Swatantra Party
- Sworn in
- 27 March 2026 by President Ramchandra Paudel
- Constitutional basis
- Article 76(1) – leader of majority party
- Election
- 5 March 2026; RSP won 182 of 275 seats
- Constituency
- Jhapa-5, defeating K. P. Sharma Oli
- Firsts
- 43rd PM; first PM from the Madhesi community
- Earlier
- Mayor of Kathmandu, May 2022 – January 2026
Practice MCQs 3 questions
Who was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal on 27 March 2026?
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Correct answer: A — Balendra Shah
Balendra (Balen) Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party was sworn in by President Ramchandra Paudel.
Balendra Shah, who became Nepal's Prime Minister in March 2026, belongs to which party?
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Correct answer: B — Rastriya Swatantra Party
Shah is a senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which won 182 of 275 seats on 5 March 2026.
Consider the following statements about Nepal's new Prime Minister Balendra Shah: 1. He was earlier the Mayor of Kathmandu. 2. He defeated K. P. Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5. 3. He is the first Prime Minister of Nepal from the Madhesi community. Which of the above are correct?
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Correct answer: D — 1, 2 and 3
Shah was Kathmandu mayor from May 2022 to January 2026, won Jhapa-5 defeating Oli, and is the first Madhesi PM.