Former Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayor and senior Rastriya Swatantra Party leader Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, filed his candidacy from Jhapa-5 on Tuesday.

He was accompanied by hundreds of supporters who welcomed him with slogans and a procession to the election office.

Balen’s candidacy was proposed by Bhuminandan Baral and seconded by Bhesraj Bhattarai

The contest in Jhapa-5 has gained attention as the RSP projects Balen as a future prime minister, setting up a major face-off against CPN-UML chair and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli.

The Nepali Communist Party has fielded former student leader Ranjit Tamang in the constituency.

In a notable development, the Damak Municipality president of the Nepali Congress Prakash Prasai joined the RSP to support Balen. Prasai, husband of Damak deputy mayor Regina Bhattarai, was welcomed into the party by Balen at the nomination site. Prasai’s entry is seen as a significant shift in the local political landscape, adding further intrigue to the Jhapa-5 contest.

Balen, who recently joined RSP after resigning as Kathmandu mayor, aims to institutionalise the agenda raised by the Gen Z movement while taking on Oli in his stronghold. As per the election schedule, nomination filing is taking place on Tuesday ahead of the March 5 elections.

RSP has intensified its organisational expansion by attracting leaders and activists from established parties, signalling its growing influence ahead of the polls.