Bhishma Raj Ojha/RSS
KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has been reelected Congress President for the second consecutive term through the party’s 14th General Convention. In the presidential run-off on Tuesday, he beat his contender Dr Shekhar Koirala.
In the second round of voting, Deuba secured majority upon getting supported by influential leaders Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nidhi and Kalyan Gurung. Earlier in the first round, he faced four other presidential candidates.
Upon being elected party president, NC president Deuba pledged to make party victorious in the elections to all three levels.
Born at Asigram-5 of Dadeldhura district on June 13, 1946, Deuba involved in politics being inspired by founding leader of the Nepali Congress, BP Koirala. Deuba has now been living at Budhanilkantha municipality, Kathmandu.
Active in Nepal’s democratic movements after political scenario of 2017 BS continuously, he started his political career from student movement. Deuba pursued his primary education in his home district, secondary-level education in Doti and higher education in Kathmandu and has achieved the Master’s degree in Political science from Tribhuvan University and Bachelor’s degree in law.
Also the first elected president of the Nepal Students Union and founding member, Deuba is a research fellow of the London School of Economics in political science. He was elected in parliamentary election in 2048 BS, 2051 BS, 2056 BS and 2074 BS from Dadeldhura and Constituent Assembly election from Kanchanpur and Kailali in 2064 BS and 2070 BS.
Deuba was appointed as the Prime Minister for the first time from September 11, 1995 to March 9, 1997. Similarly, he became the PM for the second time from July 22, 2001 to October 4, 2002. The then King Gyanendra Shah sacked Deuba from the post on October 4. Similarly, he became the prime Minister on June 3, 2004 for the third time.
The then King Gyanendra again sacked Prime Minister Deuba from the post on February 1, 2005.
During his premiership in the past, he had brought the concept of Karnali-Dalit-Women, Indigenous–Madhesh aims to bring women and from the backward, marginalised and disadvantaged, Dalit and ethnic communities and from the Madhes to the mainstream of development. Several commissions like The National Women’s Commission, the Indigenous Nationalities Commission and The National Dalit Commission were formed during his terms as the Prime Minister of Nepal.
He was the President of the Nepali Congress (Democratic), a breakaway faction of the NC. The increasing intra-party feud had led to the split in the party in 2059 BS and the formation of the NC (Democratic). The breakaway faction was merged with the mother party in 2064 BS and Deuba was granted the status of a senior leader in the unified party.
Deuba had beat the then party acting President Ram Chandra Poudel during the party’s 13 General Convention held on March 7, 2016 to become the party head. Party President and parliamentary party leader Deuba on June 6, 2017 was elected to the Prime Ministerial post fourth time. He was elected to the Prime Ministerial position fifth time on 13 July, 2021. His appointment as the PM followed the Supreme Court verdict responding to various cases filed demanding restoration of the then dissolved House of Representatives (HoR) and formation of a new government. The apex court on July 12 passed a mandamus in the name of the Office of President to appoint Deuba as PM within two days.
He had quit the government in less than a year following the party’s defeat in the HoR election held under his leadership in late 2017 in course of implementing the constitution. He had resigned from the post on February 15, 2018. Serving as the Vice Chair of the Socialist International from 2008 to 2012, he has been the post of international vice chair of the organisation since 2013.
He had spent 10 years in jail at different times during his involvement in the democratic movements. He has so far visited India, China, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Denmark, the UK, Germany, Norway, France, Switzerland, Greece, Belgium, the USA, Colombia and Australia.
