Nepal, May 1 -- On April 4, 2025, the inevitable happened. The simmering conflict between Balendra Shah (Balen), the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and Sunita Dangol, the Deputy Mayor, exploded publicly and was captured on video. On April 24, addressing a UML Youth Rally, Dangol further widened the rift by rebuking Balen's working style and extolling the leadership of UML Chair and Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, a Balen critic.

Balen is a young, brash, impulsive, professional engineer who is not affiliated with any political party. He focuses on lifting Kathmandu from a chaotic, dirty, unregulated city to a clean, regulated, livable one with reliable public service. He expects the federal government's support in exe...