They call her "aama" - mother. And across Nepal, Balen Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) just delivered what its supporters are calling a political rebirth.
In constituencies where the party wasn't even expected to compete, RSP candidates are leading. The old guard - the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML parties that have dominated since the 1990 democratic transition - are watching their strongholds crumble.
"The fathers made a mess of the country," wrote one voter on social media in Nepali, using a phrase that's now trending. "The mother came and gave us stability."
This is Gen Z's first major political victory in South Asia. And unlike youth movements that fizzled into hashtags, this one just won actual power.
The RSP's rise sounds improbable: a party founded just three years ago, led by Rabi Lamichhane, a former television journalist with no political dynasty behind him. Its Kathmandu mayor, Balen Shah, is a rapper and structural engineer. Its candidates include teachers, activists, and small business owners - not the sons and daughters of party bosses.
But walk through Kathmandu's streets and the appeal becomes obvious. Under Shah's leadership as mayor, the city finally tackled problems that establishment politicians ignored for decades: illegal construction demolished, rivers cleaned, public spaces reclaimed from encroachers.
"We waited 30 years for someone to remove those illegal buildings on the Bagmati River," said Ramesh Khadka, a 52-year-old shopkeeper in Thamel. "Balen did it in six months."
Nepal's 30 million people have endured political musical chairs for three decades. The country has seen 14 prime ministers since 2008. Coalition governments collapse every 18 months. Development projects stall as politicians fight over ministerial positions.
The Maoist insurgency from 1996-2006 killed 17,000 people. The peace deal brought Maoist leaders into government, where they became as corrupt as the politicians they'd fought against. Young voters watched revolutionary leaders buy luxury cars while rural Nepal still lacks reliable electricity.
