Damak, Jan. 20 -- 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 Ne...