Who could be Nepal's next prime minister? Here are 5 top contenders

Scuffles were reported among Gen-Z factions backing different contenders outside the Nepal Army headquarters in Kathmandu on Wednesday evening, as talks to pick an interim leader after the violent overthrow of the government extended into the third day.

KP Sharma Oli resigned as prime minister on Tuesday, leaving the post vacant while the anti-corruption revolt continues without a clear leader.

At least four names have emerged as contenders: Kathmandu Mayor and rapper Balendra Shah ‘Balen’, former chief justice Sushila Karki, former electricity board chief Kulman Ghising, and Dharan mayor Harka Raj Sampang Rai, better known as Harka Sampang.

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Meanwhile, journalist-turned-politician Rabi Lamichhane remains a favourite among young citizens, who freed him from jail during the protests, convinced he faced false corruption charges. However, no final decision has been reached, with talks still underway between Gen-Z representatives, President Ram Chandra Paudel, and the Army chief.

Kulman Ghising

Kulman Ghising, an electrical engineer by training, is widely credited with ending years of crippling load-shedding in Nepal.

He began his career at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in 1994 and steadily rose through the ranks. In 2016, he was appointed managing director of the NEA, where he became a household name for eliminating the 18-hour daily power cuts that had long plagued the country. After completing a four-year term, he was replaced in 2020 but reinstated in 2021.

On March 24, 2025, however, the KP Sharma Oli government removed him from the post, just four months before his tenure was due to end in August, and appointed Hitendra Dev Shakya as his successor. The decision drew sharp criticism from Opposition parties and civil society, who praised Ghising’s performance and saw his ouster as politically motivated rather than merit-based.

Sushila Karki

Sushila Karki made history as Nepal’s first female Chief Justice, serving from July 2016 to June 2017. Known for her zero-tolerance stance on corruption, she was first appointed as an ad-hoc Supreme Court judge in January 2009 and became a permanent judge the following year.

In April 2017, her tenure faced turbulence when she was temporarily suspended after lawmakers from the ruling Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) filed an impeachment motion, accusing her of bias in a verdict that led to the removal of the country’s powerful anti-corruption chief on eligibility grounds.

Balendra Shah

Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, is the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Born in 1990 in Kathmandu, he studied civil engineering in Nepal before earning a master’s degree in structural engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University in India.

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Before entering politics, Shah was active in Nepal’s underground hip-hop scene as a rapper and lyricist, using his music to spotlight issues such as corruption and inequality.

In 2022, he ran as an independent candidate in the Kathmandu mayoral election and won with over 61,000 votes, defeating rivals from major political parties. Married to Sabina Kafle, Shah remains highly active on social media, where he frequently engages the public on civic concerns and political developments.

Harka Raj Sampang Rai

A section of Gen-Z protesters has rallied behind Harka Raj Sampang Rai, the independent mayor of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City. Rising to prominence after his 2022 mayoral victory as an independent with nearly 40% of the vote, Sampang is seen as a people’s representative. His refusal to accept VIP privileges, choosing instead to stand in queues with the public, has earned him wide admiration.

After working abroad for six years, he returned to Dharan and founded the National Unity Network to campaign against corruption. Over the years, he has been active in protests against tax hikes, illegal sand mining, and water shortages in Dharan. Earlier, he also coordinated efforts for families displaced by the Madan Bhandari Inner Terai Highway project and developed the Shram Sanskriti Park to preserve Dharan’s local history.

Rabi Lamichhane

Rabi Lamichhane first rose to fame in 2013 by hosting a 62-hour marathon talk show on News24, earning a Guinness World Record and making his mark in Nepal’s media. He later built a reputation as a fearless critic of corruption through shows like Sidha Kura Janata Sanga (Straight talk with the people), where his direct questioning and confrontational style resonated widely.

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Sensing public frustration with mainstream parties, Lamichhane founded the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in 2022. In that year’s elections, he won his seat by a landslide and led the RSP to 20 parliamentary seats, emerging as Nepal’s fourth-largest party. Soon after, he joined Prachanda’s coalition government as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.