Harka Sampang
Nepalese politician (born 1983)
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Harkaraj Rai Sampang[a] (born 27 February 1983) is a Nepalese politician who is the founder, chairman, and parliamentary leader of the Shram Sanskriti Party. He is a member of parliament having been elected from Sunsari 1 constituency in the 2026 Nepalese general election. He previously served as the 6th mayor of Dharan from 2022 to 2026, the first independent candidate to be elected as mayor of Dharan.[1][2][3]
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Harka Sampang | |
|---|---|
| हर्क साम्पाङ | |
Sampang in 2025 | |
| Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha | |
| Assumed office 26 March 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Ashok Rai |
| Constituency | Sunsari 1 |
| 1st Chairman of the Shram Sanskriti Party | |
| Assumed office 2 November 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| 6th Mayor of Dharan | |
| In office 23 May 2022 – 19 January 2026 | |
| Deputy | Aindra Bikram Begha |
| Preceded by | Tilak Rai |
| Succeeded by | Aindra Bikram Begha (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 February 1983 |
| Party | Shram Sanskriti Party |
| Spouse | Nirmala Limbu |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | Tribhuvan University (MA English) Tribhuvan University (MA Political Science) |
| Known for | Starting Shramdaan movement in Nepal |
Early life and education
Sampang was born in Khartamchha, Khotang which is in present-day Kepilasgadhi rural municipality. His father was a former British Gorkha soldier. He moved to Dharan in 1998 after completing his SLC examinations to pursue higher education.[4] He graduated in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and Political Science from Mahendra Multiple Campus in Dharan and started working as a tutor.[5] After completing his higher education he had gone to Iraq and Afghanistan for employment.[6][7]
Political career
Rai contested the 2017 by-elections for the mayor of Dharan as an independent but only managed to get 422 votes.[6] He again contested for the post of mayor at the 2022 elections still as an independent and was elected after getting a vote share of 39.8%.[8] He was the first independent candidate elected as mayor of Dharan.[8][9][10]
Activism
After six years working abroad he returned to Dharan and opened the National Unity Network to protest against corruption. He was also involved in protests against tax raises, illegal sand extraction from rivers and the water scarcity in Dharan.[7] In 2016, Rai became the coordinator of people displaced by the expansion of the Madan Bhandari Inner Terai Highway.[6][5] He built Shram Sanskriti Park to showcase the history of Dharan.
In 2025, Sampang founded the Shram Sanskriti Party (SSP).[9][11][12]
Electoral history
2022 Dharan municipal election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Harka Raj Rai | 20,821 | 39.8% | +39.0% | |
| Congress | Kishore Rai | 16,051 | 30.7% | −19.0% | |
| CPN (UML) | Manju Bhandari Subedi | 12,825 | 24.5% | −20% | |
| RPP | Naresh Kumar Shakya | 1,488 | 2.8% | +2.5% | |
| Others | 1,142 | 2.2% | |||
| Total votes | 52,335 | 100.0% | |||
| Rejected ballots | 10,562 | ||||
| Turnout | 62,897 | ||||
| Registered electors | 100,324 | ||||
| Independent gain from Congress | Swing | +29.0% | |||