Rajendra Prasad Lingden
Nepalese politician
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Rajendra Prasad Lingden (Nepali: राजेन्द्रप्रसाद लिङ्देन) is a Nepali politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal. He also served as the Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. He is also the chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). He served as a member of the 1st Federal Parliament of Nepal from March 2018.[2] He was re-elected in 2022 in the 2nd Federal Parliament of Nepal.[3]
Rajendra Mahato
Raghubir Mahaseth
Rajendra Prasad Lingden | |
|---|---|
राजेन्द्रप्रसाद लिङ्देन | |
Lingden in 2022 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal | |
| In office 17 January 2023 – 25 February 2023 | |
| President | Bidya Devi Bhandari |
| Prime Minister | Pushpa Kamal Dahal |
| Preceded by | Bishnu Prasad Paudel Rajendra Mahato Raghubir Mahaseth |
| Succeeded by | Purna Bahadur Khadka |
| Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation of Nepal | |
| In office 17 January 2023 – 25 February 2023 | |
| President | Bidya Devi Bhandari |
| Prime Minister | Pushpa Kamal Dahal |
| Preceded by | Pampha Bhusal |
| Succeeded by | Shakti Bahadur Basnet |
| Chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party | |
| Assumed office 5 December 2021 | |
| Senior Deputy Chairman | Rabindra Mishra (from 28 September 2022) |
| Deputy Chairman | Bikram Pandey Budhhiman Tamang Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan Rosan Karki |
| Preceded by | Kamal Thapa Pashupati Shamsher JBR Prakash Chandra Lohani |
| Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha | |
| In office 4 March 2018 – 12 September 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Krishna Prasad Sitaula |
| Succeeded by | Prakash Pathak (elect) |
| Constituency | Jhapa 3 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1965[1] |
| Party | Rastriya Prajatantra Party |
| Other political affiliations | Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal |
| Spouse | Sita Thapa |
| Parent(s) | Man Prasad Lingden (father) Dhan Kumari Lingden (mother) |
Early life and education
Rajendra Lingden was born in Amarpur, in Panchthar district,[4] to Dhan Kumari and Man Prasad Lingden. He married Sita Thapa, they have one daughter and two sons. Lingden was involved in politics from a young age. He has completed his master's degree from Tribhuvan University. He was also nominated for the position of chairman of the District Development Committee of Jhapa during the direct rule of King Gyanendra. He comes from Jhapa-3, constituency.[1]
Career
Lingden was involved in RPP politics from the beginning of the party's establishment. He held several positions within the party, including General Secretary, before contesting for the position of president in 2021.
On 5 December 2021, Lingden was elected Chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party by defeating the incumbent chairman, Kamal Thapa at the party's general convention. Lingden got 1,844 votes, while Kamal Thapa got 1,617 votes. A total of 413 votes were invalidated. Stating that he would accept defeat, Thapa tweeted and congratulated Lingden on his victory.[5][6]
In the 2017 and 2022 elections, Lingden defeated former Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Sitaula was considered Girija Prasad Koirala's right-hand person in bringing Maoists, UML, and other parties together, and his defeat was seen as a rebuke of the Nepali Congress's handling of the aftermath of the peace process.[7][8]
After the Rastriya Prajatantra Party's strong showing in the 2022 Nepalese general election, where the party won 14 seats, the RPP decided to join the current coalition government under Lingden's leadership. Lingden became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.[2] On 25 February 2023, Lingden resigned from his posts, and the RPP quit the coalition government being in for less than 40 days.[9][10]
Electoral history
Lingden lost from Jhapa 3 in the 2013 Constituent Assembly election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nepali Congress | Krishna Prasad Sitaula | 14,355 | |
| Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal | Rajendra Prasad Lingden | 9,253 | |
| CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | Basanta Kumar Baniya | 6,462 | |
| UCPN (Maoist) | Dharma Shila Chapagain | 6,217 | |
| Madheshi Janaadhikar Forum, Nepal (Democratic) | Bharatendu Kumar Mallik | 3,798 | |
| Federal Socialist Party, Nepal | Bijay Kumar Gurung | 1,358 | |
| Others | 2,291 | ||
| Result | Congress gain | ||
| Source: NepalNews[2] | |||
In the 2017 Nepalese general election, he was elected from the Jhapa 3 constituency, securing 44614 (56.52%) votes.[11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rastriya Prajatantra Party | Rajendra Prasad Lingden | 44,614 | |
| Nepali Congress | Krishna Prasad Sitaula | 31,171 | |
| CPN (Marxist–Leninist) | Navaraj Kharel | 1,306 | |
| Others | 1,841 | ||
| Invalid votes | 4,312 | ||
| Result | RPP gain | ||
| Source: Election Commission | |||
In the 2022 Nepalese general election, he was elected from the Jhapa 3 constituency, securing 40,662 (47.94%) votes.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rastriya Prajatantra Party | Rajendra Prasad Lingden | 40,662 | |
| Nepali Congress | Krishna Prasad Sitaula | 37,386 | |
| CPN (Marxist–Leninist) | Navaraj Kharel | 3,461 | |
| Others | 1,384 | ||
| Invalid votes | 1,915 | ||
| Result | RPP gain | ||
| Source: Election Commission | |||