Bidya Bhandari Elected Second President of Republic Nepal

Kathmandu / October 28: Bidya Devi Bhandari has been elected as the second President of Republic Nepal. Bhandari, the Vice Chairperson of CPN (UML), is the first woman President of the country.

In the presidential election held today, she secured 327 votes against 214 votes by her rival from Nepal Congress Kul Bahadur Gurung who is the former General Secretary of the party.

Speaker Onsari Gharti announced the poll results in the meeting of the Legislature-Parliament held following the completion of vote count. The announcement of presidential election was made as per Clause 3 of Article 297 of the Nepal’s Constitution. The Speaker congratulated Bhandari on behalf of the Parliament and personally on her election to the post of new President of the country.

The election that began at 11:00 am at the Lhotse Hall of Legislature- Parliament Building, New Baneshwor ran until 14: 00 pm.

Of 597 lawmakers, 549 took part in the presidential voting. Thirty-five lawmakers associated with the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front were not present in the meeting. Eight ballots were invalid. The election for the Vice President is taking place on October 31.

Brief Info of new President of Nepal
One of the active and prominent woman leaders of Nepal’s democratic and leftist movements, Bidya Devi Bhandari, has been elected the first woman President of Nepal.

Vice-Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), Bhandari has become the second President- the Head of the State- of Republic Nepal following Dr Ram Baran Yadav.

Born to Ram Bahadur Pande and Mithila Pandey at Manebhanjyang village of Bhojpur, a remote eastern hilly district of the country, on Asar 5, 2018BS, Bhandari completed her basic education from Behereshwor Primary School and secondary education from Bidyodaya Secondary School in the district.

Her college education began from Bhojpur Campus and she earned Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Mahendra Morang College of Biratnagar. Her journey into communist politics had begun during her college days in Bhojpur in 2035BS, after joining the CPN-ML’s Youth League. She was elected as district representative for All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU) through its national convention held in Kathmandu in 2037BS.

Receiving membership of the CPN-ML in 2037BS, Bhandari worked as a member of the ANNFSU’s eastern region from 2036 to 2044BS. Moreover, she became the chief of the woman department of Nepal Trade Union Federation (GEFONT) for five years from 2050BS.

Nepal’s women’s movement was led by Bhandari being the Chairperson All Nepal Women’s Association in 2054BS. She was the central member of the CPN-UML from the same year.

Leader Bhandari became the Vice-Chairman of the party through the eighth convention held in Butwal in 2064BS.

She was married to influential communist leader Madan Bhandari in 2039BS, who died in a mysterious road accident in 2050 B.S. She is a mother of two daughters- Usha Kiran and Nisha Kushum.

Bhandari was elected member of the House of Representatives defeating Krishna Prasad Bhattarai of Nepali Congress in the by-election of 2050’s general election in Kathmandu Constituency no. 1. She was elected again in the midterm election of 2051BS, and in the general election of 2056BS.

Leader Bhandari played a vital role to guarantee at least 33 percent women’s representative in each State mechanism, by seconding a resolution for the same at the re-instated House of Representatives in 2063 BS.

She undertook the responsibility of Defense Minister for two years from 2067BS in the critical political transition after the end of the decade long insurgency in the country.

Leader Bhandari has travelled to India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Brazil, the USA, Canada and Italy. RSS