--- description: Find out how Balendra Shah is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2023 TIME100 Next: Balendra Shah image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c14cfc15f4e7664/698a3ff14ee26268b231bb1c/time100-next-balendra-shah-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 13, 2023 # Balendra Shah ## Video: See Everyone on the TIME100 Next List [Watch (HLS stream): See Everyone on the TIME100 Next List](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QxIk3IJu.m3u8) (1:58)  _Published 2023-09-13. TIME100 Next, our annual franchise recognizing the rising leaders in health, climate, business, sports, the arts and more._ by [Astha Rajvanshi](/author/astha-rajvanshi/) ## Astha Rajvanshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Balendra Shah Balendra ShahSaumya Khandelwal—The New York Times/Redux When Balendra Shah emerged as the unlikely winner of Kathmandu’s mayoral election in May 2022, his trademark square, black-and-gold sunglasses quickly began selling out in Nepal’s capital. The 33-year-old, who has a master’s degree in structural engineering, ran as an independent and used TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram to harness voter anger over the status quo—sparking [a “Balen effect”](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/world/asia/nepal-kathmandu-mayor-balen.html "undefined") that saw as many as 385 independent candidates triumph over veteran politicians in last spring’s local elections. In a city still reeling from a deadly 2015 earthquake, Shah’s campaign promises were simple but offered desperately needed fixes: better waste disposal and sanitation, safe drinking water, clean roads, and the preservation of cultural heritage alongside urban development. His efforts to make good on these promises have been met with scrutiny, including in regard to their impact on the city’s poor and their reliance on demolishing buildings deemed illegal. Since coming into power, Shah has also signed agreements with officials to utilize landfill sites and announced plans to separate and dispose of nondegradable waste. --- ### More from TIME --- Balendra Shah Is on the TIME100 Next 2023 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6311766/balendra-shah/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6311766/balendra-shah/"},"headline":"Balendra Shah","datePublished":"2023-09-13T11:00:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:19:53.523Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6311766/balendra-shah/","keywords":["TIME 100 Next","sponsorshipblock","time100nextartists23"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c14cfc15f4e7664/698a3ff14ee26268b231bb1c/time100-next-balendra-shah-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Astha Rajvanshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/astha-rajvanshi/"}],"creator":"Astha Rajvanshi","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c14cfc15f4e7664/698a3ff14ee26268b231bb1c/time100-next-balendra-shah-2023.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6311766/balendra-shah/","name":"Balendra Shah"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"See Everyone on the TIME100 Next List","description":"TIME100 Next, our annual franchise recognizing the rising leaders in health, climate, business, sports, the arts and more.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/QxIk3IJu/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-09-13T11:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QxIk3IJu.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6311766/balendra-shah/","duration":"PT1M58S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6311766/balendra-shah/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```