KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah is facing growing criticism for his silence following the Gen-Z movement and the formation of Sushila Karki’s government, a period during which his supporters expected him to emerge as a national voice.
Once celebrated as a non-partisan symbol of youthful defiance and urban reform, Balen is now under fire from the same digital generation that helped propel him to power. Supporters have accused him of hiding since the violent turn of the Gen-Z protests on September 8 and 9, which left at least 72 people dead and hundreds injured.
During and after the protests, many demonstrators and social media users had called on Balen to take the political lead in a country that had just seen KP Sharma Oli removed from power. But Balen neither appeared publicly nor issued any formal statement on the protests. Critics say his reluctance to speak or act during the crisis has eroded his moral standing among the youths who once viewed him as a future national leader.
“Even after the tragic deaths of the protesters, Balen did not attend the funeral nor visit the injured,” one of his supporters wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Leadership is about standing with people in difficult times, not posting cryptic poems afterward.”
Silence amid turmoil
According to people close to him, Balen’s aides had urged him to make a public appearance after the September violence, but he reportedly expressed security concerns and uncertainty about the political fallout.
The mayor’s absence from public space during the country’s government vacuum further fueled frustration among his followers. Several social media users, including prominent youth activists, accused him of abandoning the movement that had organically linked his brand to the demands of a politically disillusioned generation.
The situation escalated when commentator Saurab, in a widely viewed interview with journalist Tikaram Yatri, referred to Balen as “Lucifer”, a remark that went viral and triggered intense online debate. The label, which implied deceit and betrayal, was repeated across media outlets and tea shops alike, denting Balen’s once untouchable image.
Political shifts and fading influence
Balen’s decline in online influence coincided with the rise of Sushila Karki’s administration, which was formed shortly after the Gen-Z unrest. In her first address, Prime Minister Karki described the protests as destructive and refrained from offering a concrete reform roadmap, a statement that many young people found disappointing.
Observers say Balen could have taken on a mediating or leadership role in articulating the movement’s agenda, but instead chose silence. “Gen-Z’s energy lacked political direction after the protests,” said a political sociologist. “Balen was the natural bridge between the streets and institutional politics, but he withdrew at the very moment he was needed most.”
In the weeks that followed, Balen’s social media posts shifted focus from political commentary to municipal updates. He did not respond to Saurav’s “Lucifer” remark or engage in any debate over his role in the movement.
Earlier this week, however, Balen published a poem on Facebook suggesting he remains on the side of truth. The poem included the line comparing one’s condition to a farmer’s dirt, which drew immediate backlash from farmer groups and the UML-affiliated National Farmers’ Federation. Though the poem was originally written a year ago and appeared in his self-published book Balen, critics accused him of disrespecting rural communities.
A quiet retreat
Sources close to Balen say he has privately told his inner circle that he will not form a political party or contest the next mayoral election. One of his aides said Balen feels his support structure has weakened and that the moment for advancing politically has passed.
People who once worked with him during the early phases of the Gen-Z movement also question his decision-making ability and leadership style. “He lacked the capacity to make timely political decisions,” one former collaborator said. “He surrounded himself with inexperienced and untrustworthy people.”
Meanwhile, speculation has surfaced that the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by Deputy Chair Swarnim Wagle, is trying to bring both Balen and Energy Minister Kulman Ghising into its fold. Party insiders say informal discussions have taken place, but Balen has shown little interest so far.
“Balen has decided neither to join any political party nor to form one of his own,” one of his confidants told Khabarhub. “He wants to focus on completing his term as mayor and distance himself from national-level politics, at least for now.”
For many of his one-time admirers, however, the retreat marks the end of an era. A generation that once rallied behind his slogan of independence and accountability now views his silence as a missed opportunity.
“Balen was the only leader who spoke the digital language of this generation,” said a student activist who took part in the September protests. “But when it mattered most, he logged out.
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