Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol is most likely to take charge as acting mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, as Mayor Balendra Shah is set to resign to contest the upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for March 5.

Mayor Shah must resign by January 19 to file his candidacy for a parliamentary seat.

“As per the election law, a by-election must be held if the post of an elected representative becomes vacant and at least one year of tenure remains,” said Dhurba Kumar Kafle, an official at the city office. “The incumbent mayor still has around 15 months of tenure left.”

However, officials say the government is unlikely to move quickly enough to meet that legal threshold, as preparations for the March parliamentary elections are already underway.

The government needs to declare a by-election date and ask the Election Commission to hold by-elections, a process that typically takes several months.

Officials at the commission said that there are already around three dozen posts of local-level representatives vacant throughout the country, and the government has yet to decide to hold elections for those posts.

As a result, deputies have been taking charge as acting heads in places where elected representatives are absent.

“The Election Commission is busy preparing for the snap parliamentary elections slated for March 5,” a former chief election commissioner told the Post, asking not to be named. “By the time these elections conclude and the government moves to declare by-election dates, less than a year will remain in the tenure of the vacant local-level posts. Given the high cost of conducting elections for such a short remaining term, it is unlikely that the government will hold by-elections.”

Elected as an independent in the 2022 local election, Shah joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party a few days ago after an understanding was reached that he would be the party’s candidate for prime minister if the RSP wins the election.

Mayor Shah is a key figure of the Gen Z revolt that swept the KP Sharma Oli-led coalition government on September 9. Seventy-seven people died, and scores were injured in the youth-led protest against corruption and misgovernance. At the height of the protests, Shah used social media to suggest the dissolution of Parliament and the formation of a citizens’ government, a call subsequently backed by Gen Z protesters.

Once Mayor Shah resigns, Deputy Mayor Dangol will become acting mayor and take the reins of the country’s largest metropolis.

Officials at the city office said the impending leadership change has already affected the internal dynamics of the metropolis.

“Some people, including Raju Pandey, chief of Metropolis Police, along with other security personnel and some officials, used to intimidate fellow employees,” said an official, asking not to be named. “Their behaviour has changed.”

The tenure of all elected representatives of local units will end in mid-April 2027.