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Rajendra Mahato
Nepali politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rajendra Mahato (Nepali: राजेन्द्र महतो; born 19 November 1958) is a Nepalese politician, who had been serving as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development since 4 June 2021 but was removed from the post by the Supreme Court on 22 June 2021, making his tenure of just 18 days the shortest till date.[7] He was the parliamentary party leader of the People's Socialist Party, Nepal, although the status matter of conflict within the party. Though weak today due to continuous party change, he once was a well known leader of Terai-Madhesh based political alliance.[8][9] Now, he is thought to move to Sarlahi 4.[10] He has previously contested the election from Sarlahi and Dhanusha where his party could win no local level head position and got clean swept in recent election.[9][11]
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Political career
Mahato began his political career in 1990.[12] In the 1994 parliamentary elections, he contested from Sarlahi-2 as a candidate of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, finishing second with 10,173 votes. In the 1999 elections, he won the seat with 14,750 votes, defeating former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party.[13]
In 2007, Mahato split from the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi) and formed his own party, later named the Sadbhavana Party.[14] Over the years, he joined several parties including the Rastriya Janata Party, Janata Samajbadi Party, and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party.[15]
In April 2008, Mahato was elected from Sarlahi-4 in the Constituent Assembly election.[16] However, he lost the seat in the 2013 election to Mahendra Rai Yadav of the Terai Madhesh Sadbhavana Party Nepal.[17] Under proportional representation, his wife Sahil Devi Mahato was nominated to the Assembly.[18]
Mahato has been a prominent advocate for Madhesi rights, expressing opposition to provisions in Nepal’s draft constitution that he viewed as discriminatory against the Madhesi community.[19]
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Deputy Prime Minister
On 4 June 2021, Mahato joined the second Oli cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development. His tenure ended on 22 June 2021 following a Supreme Court verdict that annulled the cabinet expansion.[20][21]
Formation of Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal
In February 2024, Mahato left the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party and announced a campaign advocating a "multi-national state" model.[12] In September 2024, he announced the formation of a new party, later named the Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal. The Election Commission officially registered the party in January 2025, with an election symbol of an LPG cylinder and a flag featuring a bow and arrow.[22]
Recent activities
In February 2025, Mahato announced plans to form an alternative political alliance promoting inclusive and multi-ethnic national identity.[23] The same month, he participated in protests against the Pathibhara cable car project, citing concerns over the preservation of cultural and religious heritage.[24]
Personal life
Rajendra Mahato was born on 19 November 1958 in Babaraganj, Chandranagar Rural Municipality-2, Sarlahi District, Nepal, as the second child of Khobhari Mahato.[25]
Burning of the Constitution and political stance
Following the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal in 2015, widespread protests and strikes were organized by Madheshi groups, particularly in the Terai region. Rajendra Mahato notably burned a copy of the constitution at the premises of Narayani Sub-regional Hospital in Birgunj, stating his rejection of the document due to its failure to adequately address and protect the rights of the Madheshi community.[26] In his statement, Mahato criticized the constitution as being promulgated amid violence instigated by the government and claimed it favored certain political leaders, expressing that it was unacceptable to him and his supporters.
He has frequently described Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli as an adversary of Madhesh and Madheshi people. Mahato once commented that Oli's patriotism and protests against India did not benefit the country.[27]
Since then, Mahato has continued his political career, including the formation of the Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal in 2024, advocating for a multi-national federal state and inclusive representation of various ethnic groups in Nepal's political system.[28]
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Election history and political career
As of 2013, Rajendra Mahato had contested five elections from 1991 to 2013. He won two of these elections: one from Sarlahi-2 and one from Sarlahi-4, while he was defeated in the other three.[29]
In the 2017 election, due to an electoral alliance between Rastriya Janata Party Nepal and Federal Socialist Forum, the party decided to nominate Mahato from Dhanusha-3. Dhanusha-3 is considered a key constituency of Bimalendra Nidhi, whose late father, Mahendra Narayan Nidhi, had significant influence in the area. Despite this, Rajendra Mahato won the Dhanusha-3 seat by a large margin, while Bimalendra Nidhi lost in his area of influence.[30]
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References
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