Honourable Bishnu Prasad Paudel MP
विष्णुप्रसाद पौडेल
Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal
In office 26 December 2022 – 27 February 2023 Serving with Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Rabi Lamichhane and Rajendra Prasad Lingden
President	Bidhya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister	Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Preceded by	Rajendra Mahato Raghubir Mahaseth
In office 4 June 2021 – 22 June 2021 Serving with Rajendra Mahato and Raghubir Mahaseth
President	Bidya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister	Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli
Preceded by	Ishwar Pokhrel
Minister of Finance
In office 26 December 2022 – 27 February 2023
President	Bidhya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister	Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Preceded by	Janardan Sharma
In office 14 October 2020 – 12 July 2021
President	Bidya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister	Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli
Preceded by	Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada
Succeeded by	Janardan Sharma
In office 5 November 2015 – 1 August 2016
President	Bidya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister	Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli
Preceded by	Dr. Ram Saran Mahat
Succeeded by	Krishna Bahadur Mahara
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 24 June 2021 – 12 July 2021
President	Bidya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister	KP Oli
Preceded by	Khagaraj Adhikari
Succeeded by	Bal Krishna Khand
Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies
In office 24 June 2021 – 12 July 2021
President	Bidya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister	KP Oli
Preceded by	Raj Kishor Yadav
Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation
In office 24 June 2021 – 12 July 2021
President	Bidya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister	KP Oli
Preceded by	Sharat Singh Bhandari
Succeeded by	Pampha Bhusal
Minister of Defence
In office 6 February 2011 – 29 August 2011
President	Ram Baran Yadav
Prime Minister	Jhala Nath Khanal
Preceded by	Bidya Devi Bhandari
Succeeded by	Sharat Singh Bhandari
Minister for Water Resources
In office 18 August 2008 – 25 May 2009
President	Ram Baran Yadav
Prime Minister	Pushpa Kamal Dahal
In office October 1994 – May 1999
Preceded by	Hari Nepal
Constituency	Palpa 3
Member of the Constituent Assembly / Legislature Parliament
In office 28 May 2008 – 14 October 2017
Preceded by	Surya Prasad Pradhan (as MP)
Constituency	Rupandehi 4
Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 March 2018
Constituency	Rupandehi-2
Personal details
Born	(1959-11-20) 20 November 1959 Syangja, Nepal
Nationality	Nepali
Political party	CPN (UML) (before 2018; 2021-present)
Other political affiliations	Nepal Communist Party (NCP) (2018-2021)
Website	bishnuprasadpaudel.com

Bishnu Prasad Paudel (Nepali: विष्णुप्रसाद पौडेल) is a Nepalese politician, who is the vice-chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist).^[1] Paudel served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the Third Dahal cabinet.^[2] He has earlier served as Deputy Prime Minister (2021), and headed other prominent Ministries such as Finance (2020-2021, 2015-2016), Home Affairs (2021), Industry (2021), Water (2021, 2008-2009, 1994-1999) and Defence (2011).

He is a member of the House of Representatives elected from Rupandehi district, Parliamentary Constituency 2, in the election of the Federal Parliament held in 2017. He won the election with a huge margin of 22,000 votes at that time. During the second Constituent Assembly Election in 2013, he defeated the former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai from Rupendehi 4.^[3]

Paudel previously successfully served as the Minister of Finance from 5 November 2015 to 1 August 2016 in the first cabinet of prime minister KP Sharma Oli. He also served as Minister of Defence from 6 February 2011 to 29 August 2011, under prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal and as the Minister for Water Resources from 18 August 2008 to 25 May 2009 under prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He has also served as the Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture in 1997 under prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand.

Early life

Bishnu Prasad Paudel was born to Devilal Paudel and Devaki Paudel on 20 November 1959 in Syangja Nepal. He joined politics in 1976. During the Panchayat System in Nepal, he faced jail time.^[4] In 1977, he passed the SLC examination and moved to Rupendehi from Syangja to start the career as a Primary School teacher and he influenced by the communist activists. He resigned from the teaching profession and joined the Communist Party at the age of 18. Paudel broke the Bhairahawa Jail and went back to people's movement. Paudel was taken to Bhairahawa jail with three thousand rupees fine in charge of state of affairs after facing the case for 3 years. He revolted in the jail after 45 days comprehensive preparation.

Political life

• Chief, Organization Department Communist Party of Nepal (UML) since April 2021
• General Secretary, Communist Party of Nepal (NCP) since 2018
• Deputy General Secretary, Communist Party of Nepal (UML), 2014 - 2018
• Secretary of Central Committee, Communist Party of Nepal (UML), 2009 - 2014
• Member of Standing Committee, Communist Party of Nepal (UML), 2003 - 2019
• Member of Central Committee, Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Since 1990
• Party Member of CPN (ML/UML) since 1977

Electoral history

Paudel is a five time parliamentarian. He is one of the influential leader of Nepal Communist Party (UML). Currently, he is working as the Minister of Finance of the Government of Nepal. This is his third term as finance minister. He was elected from Palpa in the mid-term elections of 2051 and since then he has been contesting from Rupandehi in all the 5 elections. In which he was elected 4 times and was defeated once in 2056.He is among the very few leaders who have been elected many times in the elections of both the party and parliament under the leadership of CPN-UML. He was an elected member in the 2nd Constituent Assembly from Rupandehi when he competed against former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai who came third.^[4] He won for fifth time from the Rupandehi 2 in 2022.^[5]

1994 Pratinidhi Sabha Election Palpa-3

1999 Pratinidhi Sabha Election Rupendehi-3

2008 Constituent Assembly Election Rupandehi-4

2013 Constituent Assembly Election Rupandehi-4

2017 Pratinidhi Sabha Election Rupandehi-2

2022 Pratinidhi Sabha Election Rupandehi-2

References