Newly appointed Labour Minister Bhandari assumes office

Kathmandu: Sharat Singh Bhandari, the newly appointed Minister for Labour, Employment, and Social Security, has assumed office.

Earlier, he took the oath of office and secrecy before President Ramchandra Paudel at a ceremony held at the Office of the President on Monday. This marks Bhandari’s 13th appointment as a Minister.

Speaking to the media after assuming office, he pledged to continue the initiatives launched during his previous tenure to enhance the foreign employment sector. Bhandari had previously served as Minister for Labour, Employment, and Social Security from March 31, 2023, to March 4, 2024, in the government led by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.

He expressed his commitment to policy-level efforts aimed at furthering the systematization of foreign employment to ensure it is decent and safe. Bhandari represents Mahottari-2 in the House of Representatives under the direct electoral system.

His political journey began when he joined student union politics in 2032 BS through the Nepal Student Union and later joined the Nepali Congress in 2036 BS. He was previously involved in Panchayat politics, serving as a National Panchayat member in 2038 and 2043 BS, before returning to the Nepali Congress after 2051 BS. In 2044 BS, he was appointed Assistant Minister for Local Development.

He later affiliated with the Madheshi Janadhikari Forum and subsequently became a member of the Presidium of the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal. Bhandari was elected as an independent candidate to the House of Representatives in 2051 BS (1994) and later represented the Nepali Congress in 2056 BS (1999). In the 2008 Constituent Assembly, he represented the Madheshi Janadhikar Forum from Mahottari-4.

During his political career, he spent three months in exile in India in 2034 BS. Bhandari founded the Rastriya Madhesh Samajbadi Party in 2070 BS and won the recent two House of Representatives elections.