After the intervention of the Supreme Court, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday officially became the Prime Minister of the country for the fifth time. Controversy arose over his appointment letter, due to which the swearing-in ceremony was delayed by two hours. President Vidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 75-year-old senior political leader at the swearing-in ceremony held at Sheetal Niwas, the President’s office here.
Due to the controversy over the appointment letter, the swearing-in ceremony was held at around 8.15 pm, which was initially scheduled to be held at six in the evening (6:30 Indian time). The Nepali Congress objected to the statement of the President’s office which did not mention the constitutional provision under which Deuba has been appointed as the Prime Minister.
The immediate task of Sher Bahadur Deuba, who became the Prime Minister of Nepal for the record fifth time, is to bring stability by ending the political crisis in the country. Under the constitutional provision, 75-year-old Deuba will have to seek a vote of confidence in the House within 30 days of her appointment as prime minister. Prior to this, Deuba has been Prime Minister four times – first time September 1995- March 1997, second time July 2001- October 2002, third time June 2004- February 2005 and fourth time from June 2017- February 2018.
In his first foreign visit after assuming office in June 2017, Deuba visited India in August 2017 and held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Deuba has previously made three visits to India as Prime Minister in 1996, 2004 and 2005.
Born on June 13, 1946, in a remote village in Dadeldhura district of western Nepal, Deuba began his political career as a student leader. He was a founding member and president of the Nepal Students Union, the student political wing of the Nepali Congress, from 1971 to 1980.
Deuba was elected Member of Parliament from Dadeldhura district from 1991 to November 1994. He served as the Home Minister in the Girija Prasad Koirala-led Nepali Congress government from December 1991 to September 1994. After the mid-term elections in 1994, he was elected the leader of the Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party.
Deuba was first appointed prime minister in 1995 and headed a coalition government. However, his government fell in March 1997. After a power struggle within the party, Deuba formed a separate Nepali Congress Democratic Party and served as its president from September 2002 to January 2006.
In May 2006, he was unanimously re-elected as the President of the Nepali Congress Democratic. However, Deuba dissolved his own party and rejoined the Nepali Congress in September 2007. He was elected the President of Nepali Congress on 7 March 2016. He has done his graduation in law and masters in political science. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in November 2016 for his contribution in strengthening democracy. He is married to Arju Rana and is the father of a son.