Rajendra Mahato

Rajendra Mahto
राजेन्द्र महतो
Mahto in 2011
Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal
In office
4 June 2021 – 22 June 2021
PresidentBidya Devi Bhandari
Prime MinisterKhadga Prasad Sharma Oli
Preceded byIshwar Pokhrel
Minister for Urban Development
In office
4 June 2021 – 22 June 2021
PresidentBidya Devi Bhandari
Prime MinisterKhadga Prasad Sharma Oli
Preceded byPrabhu Shah
Succeeded byRuhi Singh, Noida NDRC
Minister of Health and Population
In office
4 September 2011 – 14 March 2013
PresidentRam Baran Yadav
Prime MinisterBaburam Bhattarai
Ministry of Commerce and Supplies
In office
18 August 2008 – 25 May 2009
PresidentRam Baran Yadav
Prime MinisterPushpa Kamal Dahal
Ministry of Commerce and Supplies
In office
23 May 2009 – 6 February 2011
PresidentRam Baran Yadav
Prime MinisterMadhav Kumar Nepal
Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha
In office
4 March 2018 – 18 September 2022
Preceded byBimalendra Nidhi
Succeeded byJulie Kumari Mahato
ConstituencyDhanusha 3
In office
May 1999 – May 2002
Preceded byMina Pandey
Succeeded byMohammad Rizwan Ansari
ConstituencySarlahi 2
Member of Constituent Assembly
In office
28 May 2008 – 28 May 2012
Preceded byNagendra Kumar Ray
Succeeded byMahindra Ray Yadav
ConstituencySarlahi 4
Personal details
Born (1958-11-20) 20 November 1958][1]
Sonbarsha, Bihar, India or Babarganj, Sarlahi, Nepal[2][3][4](Disputed)
NationalityNepalese or Indian[5](Disputed)
Political partyRastriya Mukti Kranti Party
Other political
affiliations		Sadbhavana Party
Nepal Sadbhawana Party
Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi)
Rastriya Janata Party (2017-2020)
People's Socialist Party(2020-2021)
EducationBachelor in Public Administration[6]

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]

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]

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]

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]

References

  1. ^ संघीय संसद सदस्य, २०७४ परिचयात्मक पुस्तिका [Federal Parliament Members 2017 Introduction Booklet] (PDF) (in Nepali). Nepal: Federal Parliament Secretariat. 2021. p. 270. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  2. ^ "Rajendra Mahato- CA Profile". Ujyalo Online. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  3. ^ "अख्तियारमा यसरी रोकियो राजेन्द्र महतोको नागरिकता छानविन". Online Khabar. Archived from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  4. ^ "राजेन्द्र महतोको नागरिकता छानविन गर्न अख्तियारमा उजूरी". रिपोर्टर्स नेपाल. 2021-06-22. Archived from the original on 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  5. ^ "Nepal: Rajendra Mahato is an Indian national? Part-II -". 10 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Hon. Rajendra Mahto | Institute for Representative Government". Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  7. ^ "मन्त्रिपरिषद् विस्तारविरुद्ध सर्वोच्चको अन्तरिम आदेश : २० मन्त्री जिम्मेवारीमुक्त (आदेशको पूर्णपाठ)". मन्त्रिपरिषद् विस्तारविरुद्ध सर्वोच्चको अन्तरिम आदेश : २० मन्त्री जिम्मेवारीमुक्त (आदेशको पूर्णपाठ). Archived from the original on 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  8. ^ "Morcha nixes talks offer, insists on all four conditions". Kantipur. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  9. ^ a b रातोपाटी. "आफ्नो लागि चुनाव क्षेत्र खोज्दै राजेन्द्र महतो". RatoPati (in Nepali). Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-17.
  10. ^ "धनुषा ३- महतो, जुली र निधि भिड्ने सम्भावना, कसको पल्ला भारी?". nepalkhabar (in Nepali). 3 June 2019. Archived from the original on 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  11. ^ "मधेश राजनीतिको बाह्रखरी". ekantipur.com (in Nepali). Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  12. ^ a b "Mahato launches new political campaign". Online Khabar. 12 February 2024.
  13. ^ "House of Representatives Election Results 1999". Election Commission of Nepal. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Mahato forms new Sadbhavana Party". The Himalayan Times. 2007.
  15. ^ "Mahato joins Loktantrik Samajbadi Party". Nagarik News. 2021.
  16. ^ "Constituent Assembly Election Results 2008". Election Commission of Nepal.
  17. ^ "Constituent Assembly Election Results 2013". Election Commission of Nepal.
  18. ^ "PR nominations announced". The Kathmandu Post. 26 November 2013.
  19. ^ "Nepal's constitution criticised by Madhesi leaders". BBC. 19 September 2015.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference TKP2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference SCOrder was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "Election Commission registers Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal". Online Khabar. 5 January 2025.
  23. ^ "Mahato announces alternative political front". Setopati. 14 February 2025.
  24. ^ "Protests against Pathibhara cable car". My Republica. 20 February 2025.
  25. ^ "Rajendra Mahato Biography". Reliable Source. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  26. ^ "Mahato burns constitution copy in protest". Reliable News. 2015.
  27. ^ "Mahato criticizes Oli's nationalism". Reliable News. 2019.
  28. ^ "Mahato forms new party". Reliable News. 2024.
  29. ^ "Election history of Rajendra Mahato". Reliable News. 2013.
  30. ^ "Rajendra Mahato wins from Dhanusha-3". Bizmandu. 2017.
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