Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah is preparing to resign after reaching an agreement with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to contest the House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5, 2026.
Following his resignation, the post of mayor in Kathmandu Metropolitan City will fall vacant.
If Shah resigns within the next one or two weeks, approximately 16 months would still remain in his original mayoral term.
The Local Level Election Act stipulates that if the position of a people’s representative, including the mayor, becomes vacant for any reason, a by-election shall be held for the remaining term. However, the same law also mentions that if the remaining tenure is less than one year, a by-election is not required.
In the event that Shah resigns within the next two weeks, more than a year will still remain in the term; therefore, the law does not prevent a by-election from being held.
According to legal provisions, the government in power at the time of the announcement must consult with the Election Commission to fix a date for the by-election.
An official from the Commission said that during consultations, they assess how many vacant positions across the country require elections. "Before making an announcement, we review how many places need by-elections, and then the government fixes the date," the official explained.
According to law, the deputy mayor serves as the acting mayor until a new mayor is elected. The current deputy mayor of Kathmandu is Sunita Dangol, who was elected from the CPN-UML.
