Rastriya Swatantra Party's Dr. Krishna Hari Budhathoki Wins Parliament Seat After Resigning from Banking Career

Dr. Krishna Hari Budhathoki has resigned from his high-level job in the secure and attractive banking sector to become a Member of Parliament (MP).

Dr. Krishna Hari Budhathoki of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was elected from Ramechhap in the House of Representatives election. Budhathoki was elected with 24,808 votes, while his closest competitor, Madhav Prasad Dhungel of CPN-UML, was limited to 17,609 votes. Dr. Budhathoki defeated Dhungel by a margin of 7,199 votes.

Similarly, Ramchandra Khadka of the Nepali Congress received 16,307 votes, Shyam Kumar Shrestha of the Communist Party of Nepal received 13,354 votes, and Deep Bahadur Yonjan of the Ujyalo Nepal Party received 7,210 votes.

Until now, Congress and the Communists had alternately represented Ramechhap in the House of Representatives. In the election held on Falgun 21, the voters of Ramechhap set aside the candidates from UML and Congress and elected Budhathoki of the RSP as MP.

Budhathoki, elected from Ramechhap, was employed at Nepal Bank before joining the RSP. He quit his bank job last Bhadra following the youth agitation and plunged into politics with a resolve for social service. He became an MP on his very first attempt in parliamentary politics.

Born in Gelu, Manthali Municipality-12, Ramechhap, Budhathoki is rich in high educational qualifications and intellectual capacity. Representatives with such extensive higher education are rarely found in Nepal's parliament.

He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and an M.Phil. in English. He has completed postgraduate studies in six subjects: Economics, English, Management, Sociology, Political Science, and Public Administration.

• 'Turning Point' in Entering Politics

Dr. Budhathoki has over 20 years of work experience in the banking and financial sector. He worked continuously for 10 years at Nepal Bank Limited alone. He had reached the Manager level at the bank. A job in a bank in Nepal is considered a secure future, but he decided to leave his bank job and enter politics.

The prevailing situation in the country, social outrage, and the youth movement brought a major turning point in his life. Having closely felt the youth movement and social upheavals around Bhadra 23-24, he realized the need to do something for society.

Budhathoki said, "While working at the bank, my heart ached seeing the state of society. The feeling that I must make a concrete contribution to society gave me energy."