Kul Man Ghising

Ghising was born to a Tamang family in Bethan village of Ramechhap District in eastern Nepal,^[8] and went to Dahoo Secondary School as a child.^[4] He moved to Kathmandu and went to Balsewa Secondary School in Jhochhe, starting in the seventh grade.^[8] He graduated high school from Amar Adarsh Secondary School and went to Amrit Science College for the Intermediate degree.^[8] He received free scholarship from Regional Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur, India, to become an electrical engineer.^[8] He completed his post-graduate studies from Pulchowk Campus.^[4] Ghising then completed MBA from Pokhara University.

Ghising started his job in NEA in 1994. He was appointed the managing director of NEA on 14 September 2016 by a cabinet decision having been recommended by Ram Sharan Mahat of Nepali Congress. He had been associated with NEA for over two decades prior to the appointment. At the time of the appointment, he was serving as the project chief of Rahughat Hydroelectricity Project, having been managing director of the Chilime Hydropower Company before that. Experienced in power trade and distribution, he said eliminating load shedding would be one of his main focus, in an interview following his appointment.^[9]

Scheduled daily power-cuts called load-shedding, extending up to 18 hours in the dry winter months,^[8] had been a persistent problem in Nepal for decades. When Ghising was appointed to lead the NEA, he emphasized better management and more equitable power distribution.^[6] By ending the policy of providing 24 hours uninterrupted power supply to a few large industries at the expense of the general public, he immediately eliminated power cuts in the major cities, and reduced power cuts to other parts of the country to around two hours every other day.^[10] He overhauled the hydropower generation system storing water during low demand hours, and bringing online power plants that had been inoperative due to poor maintenance. He launched a public awareness campaign to discourage the use of high-power domestic equipment during peak hours.^[5] Load-shedding was eliminated across the country, for both residential and industrial sectors by May 2018.^[11][8]

On August 11, 2021, Kulman Ghising was reappointed for his second term.^[12][13] However, he was removed from his position on March 24, 2025, despite his tenure being scheduled to end on August 9, 2025.^[14] The government decision to remove him caused widespread criticism and protests.^[15][16]

Kul Man Ghising's dismissal as managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority on March 24, 2025, sparked protests across Nepal. Supporters criticized the government's decision, viewing it as unjust given his success in eliminating load-shedding. The protests revealed divisions within the ruling coalition, with even Nepali Congress leaders opposing the move, raising concerns about potential unrest.^[17][18]

Although Ghising was long considered a career technocrat, his entry into politics was preceded by years of immense public popularity stemming from his leadership at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). Speculation regarding his formal entry into politics began as early as the 2022 general elections, where he was heavily courted by the CPN (Maoist Centre), though he initially maintained his neutral status as a public official.^[19]

Following the 2025 youth-led "Gen Z protests" that led to the resignation of the K. P. Sharma Oli administration, Ghising was inducted into the interim cabinet of Nepal's first female Prime Minister, Sushila Karki.^[20] Sworn in on September 15, 2025, Ghising was appointed Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. Due to his reputation for administrative efficiency, he was also given the portfolios for the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Urban Development.^[21]

On January 7, 2026, Ghising resigned from his ministerial posts to transition into full-time party leadership ahead of the March 2026 general elections.^[22] Shortly after his resignation, he assumed the chairmanship of the "Ujyaalo Nepal Party" (Light of Nepal Party). Following a brief, 12-day unification attempt with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) that collapsed in January 2026 over ideological differences, Ghising announced he would contest the election independently for the seat of Kathmandu Constituency No. 3.^[23][24]

• Ujyaalo Nepal Party
• Harka Sampang
• Mahabir Pun