KP Sharma Oli biography, the No. 1 Popular former Prime Minister of Nepal


KP Sharma Oli, full name Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, is also called KP Baa (‘Father KP’) among the youths.

He has been the former prime minister of Nepal since February 15, 2018, and president of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), a democratic communist party of Nepal.  

He is a nationalist leader, standing against the Indian government during and after the undeclared Block 2015.

At the same time, he strengthened the Nepal-China relationship. China stood as an alternative to India and supplied necessary things during the blockade. 

India has captured Nepal’s land Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura, the westernmost part of Nepal, since 1962. Nepal was claiming the ground along with India.

Despite Nepal’s claim and diplomatic efforts, India announced a direct road link through Nepali land without Nepal’s approval.

So, Prime Minister Oli sent a note to the Indian government and printed an updated new Nepali map, including those parts, through a constitutional amendment. Because of these steps, his popularity heightened as a bold, nationalist leader.

KP Sharma Oli’s Childhood

On February 23, 1952, KP Sharma Oli was born in Terhathum District, Eastern Nepal, as the eldest son of Mohan Prasad and Mother Madhumaya Oli. He lost his mother when he was one and a half years old due to smallpox, which had spread like an epidemic in Nepal then. Oli grew up in the care of his grandmother, Rammaya Oli.

His childhood name was Dhruba; after being admitted to school, his parents changed his name to KP Oli. He completed his fifth grade at Pranami Primary School in Aathrai, Tehrathum.  

DURING HIS CHILDHOOD, Mr. KP Sharma Oli was known as an intelligent child with a sharp mind. He was interested in chess and encouraged others to play with his friends.

He played football, too, at his school. He was fond of reading and writing nationalistic poems in his youth age. 

His parents migrated from Tehrathum to Jhapa in 1963, when he was twelve, supporting Communist leader Ramnath Dahal. They settled on the bank of the Kakai River.

One day, their farmland and home were swept away by the flood at the river, adding misery to his life. His family faced a hand-to-mouth problem, so he started working for Ram Nath Dahal at home.

KP Sharma Oli as a party member to the President of CPN (UML) 

Influenced by the communist leader Ramnath Dahal, KP Sharma Oli joined the Communist party in 1966; Mr. Dahal was killed by the then political system (Panchyat) on Sunday, March 4, 1973, Sukhani of Jhapa. The forest lies at the border between Illam and Jhapa districts.

He became a full-time political activist in 1968 and got membership in the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) in February 1970.

For the first time under the Public Offense Act, he was sentenced to jail in 1970 by the then Panchayat system, accusing him of being involved in the democratic movement to establish a republican country.

KP Sharma Oli was nominated as the Chief of the Jhapa Movement Organizing Committee in 1972, initiated by Ramnath Dahal, a martyr of the Jhapa movement of the Communist Party. 

He advocates for freedom and Democracy. So, he was arrested with various false charges, such as his involvement in provocative acts, and was imprisoned for 14 consecutive years (1973-1987), including four years of solitary confinement. He was shifted to nine different jails around the nation during his imprisonment. 

In December 1976, the Communist Party of Nepal, Marxist-Leninist (CPN (ML), was formed, and KP Sharma Oli was included as one of the founding members of the party CPN (ML), though he was in jail.  

He was released from jail in 1987 and became a Central Committee Member of CPN (ML). He worked in charge of Party activities in Lumbini Zone till 1990.

The democratic movement in 1990 established a democratic system by ending the existing Panchayat system, and Mr. Oli’s started gaining height.

After the establishment of Democracy, the communist party of Nepal (ML) decided to establish a party’s youth wing; he became the founding president of the Democratic National Youth Federation, Nepal (DNYF), in 1990.

On January 6, 1991, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) was formed by merging the existing two different communist parties, namely the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist Leninist) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Leninist). KP Sharma Oli became the founding Central Committee member of it.

He got the responsibility of the chief of the Central Department of International Affairs of CPN (UML) in 1992. He became a politburo member of the party central committee and the responsibility of Chief of the Central Department of Publicity in 1993. 

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KP Sharma Oli’s biography

CPN (UML) lost its central committee general secretary and most popular communist leader, Madan Kumar Bhandari, known as Madan Bhandari. Mr. Bhandari had propounded the famous communist thought “People’s Multiparty Democracy.”

With his leadership, the Nepalese communist movement was achieving a greater height. He was killed in a jeep accident at Dasdhunga, Chitwan, in 1993.

Madan Bhandari was not only an opposition leader in the parliament; he was the hope of the Nepali citizens. Mr. Bhandari’s unexpected death in a Jeep accident deeply saddened the county’s people.

Oli became the head of the investigation committee of the Dasdhunga accident from CPN (UML)in 1994.

Oli was becoming the hope of youth inside the party and was a transparent public and parliamentary speaker. So, he became Chief of the Department of Parliamentary Affairs of CPN (UML) in 1995. 

He proposed a motion on the party’s tactical line, adopted by an overwhelming majority. He was elected as a Standing Committee Member of the CPN (UML) and chief of the Central Department of International Affairs in 1998.

His proposal to restructure CPN (UML) ‘s central body with multiple positions such as President, Vice President, General Secretary, and Secretaries at the 7th National Party Congress in February 2003 was on hold.

However, he was re-elected as a Standing Committee Member and re-assigned Chief of the Central Department of International Affairs of CPN (UML).

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After the parliamentary election, CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned from the party position, and Jhala Natha Khanal became the party’s general Secretary. KP Sharma Oli was the Chief of the Central Department of Party School from 2008 to 2009.

CPN (UML) 8th National Congress accepted Oli’s proposal of multiple positions in the central committee. He contested for party presidency; however, he was defeated by Jhala Nath Khanal during an interparty election in February 2009.

After the 8th party congress, the central committee nominated him as the standing committee member and chief of the Central Department of International Affairs.

He became elected leader of the parliamentary party in the Constituent Assembly and legislature parliament by defeating the then-party President, Jhala Nath Khanal, on February 4, 2014. 

CPN (UML) is a democratic communist party of Nepal; they practiced competition inside the Party Congress. During the 9th National Congress, held at Kathmandu on Thursday, July 3, 2014, with a ten-day extension, Mr. Oli fought for the party presidency against Madhav Kumar Nepal.

The delegates from around the country voted to select the party’s supreme leader. Mr. Oli won over rival leader Madhav Kumar Nepal with 39 votes. During the election of the party president, Mr. Oli got 1,002 votes, while Mr. Nepal got only 963 votes.

Member of the Parliamentary to the Prime Minister of Nepal 

The panchayat system ruled Nepal for thirty years. There was no freedom of speech, so all the political parties allied with the Democratic movement against the system in 1991. 

On April 19, 1991, the Late King Birendra announced the multiparty Democracy with a constitutional king. Nepali citizens reinitiated the Democratic system in the country.

After the end of the Panchayat system, the first parliamentary election took place in 1991. 

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KP Sharma Oli got elected from Jhapa-6 as a House of Representatives member of the Lower House of Parliament in Nepal. However, in the first parliamentary election after the Panchayat system, the Nepali Congress, a democratic party of Nepal, got a high majority. 

On May 16, 1993, Nepal had a significant political accident. The most popular and influential communist leader, Madan Kumar Bhandari (Madan Bhandari), and party leader, Jib Raj Ashret, died in a jeep accident.

After the famous leader’s death, a significant movement happened against the government to find the culprit of the accident case, after the terrible death of the widespread opposition communist leader and inter-party dispute.

Prime Minister, late Girija Prasad Koirala, announced the Mid-Term Parliamentary Election in 1994. 

The Mid-Term Parliamentary Election entrusted CPN (UML) as the largest party, and Mr. Oli was re-elected as a member of the Lower House of Parliament from Jhapa-2 in 1994.

UML president, the late Man Mohan Adhikari, became the first communist prime minister of Nepal, and Mr. Oli was appointed as minister for home affairs for the first time in 1994.

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The first communist government got a chance to serve the people for nine months and became the most popular government after the panchayat system.

In the country’s parliamentary election in 1999, Mr. Oli was elected for the third time as a member of the Lower House of Parliament from Jhapa-6. 

He was the third time regularly elected party leader, so he got the responsibility of deputy leader of the main opposition party in the Parliament of Nepal from 1999 to 2002. 

Nepal faced a home war called the Nepalese Civil War from February 13, 1996, to November 21, 2006. The battle continued for ten years, nine months, and a week.

Nepal government and the Communist Party of Maoists made a comprehensive peace agreement in November 2006.

After the peace agreement, KP Oli was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal in the interim government led by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala from April 2006 to March 2007. In this government, Maoist leaders also got the opportunity to be ministers. 

Maoism was the hope and fear of the Nepali citizens, so most people voted for them in the first election of the constitutional assembly held in 2008.

Nepal was declared a Federal Republic state by then. Most famous leaders lost the elections; Mr. Oli was no exception.

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The first consultation assembly failed to promulgate new construction for the nation in a given time frame. So, in November 2013, the 2nd consultation assembly election took place, and Mr. Oli won as a member of the Constituent Assembly from Jhapa, election number seven. 

After the country’s new Constitution, Oli was elected as the Prime Minister of Nepal in a parliamentary vote on October 11, 2015, receiving 338 votes out of 597 members in the Legislature-Parliament of Nepal. 

It was a tough time in Nepal because the massive earthquake in April 2015 devasted the nation, killing nearly 9,000 people, and about 22,000 Nepali citizens were injured.  

And on September 23, 2015, India imposed an undeclared blockade in the bordering areas. The block caused Nepal to have an enormous economic and humanitarian crisis.

The blockade caused great difficulty importing not only petroleum but also medicines and earthquake relief materials for the earthquake victims. Hence, it remained a tough time for the people of Nepal.

Prime Minister Oli requested and talked with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but they did not listen to Nepal.

At that time, the government of Nepal made good relations with northern neighbor China and agreed to purchase petroleum from there. 

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Oli spoke against the Indian government from the parliamentary house of Nepal and even during various programs publicly. The Non-resident Nepali community protested against the Indian government from Washington DC to London.

Most Nepali citizens supported his voice against India; by March 2016, fuel shipments and other goods from India were average.

He became the most popular nationalist leader of his stand against India’s trouble. Because of his popularity inside and outside the country, the party started a game to fail his government.

Knowing all the situation and conspiracy, the prime minister addressed the Parliamentary session at the legislature-parliament and resigned from the post of prime minister on July 24, 2016.

Nepal had a local election after 20 years in 2017, held in three phases: May 14, June 28, and September 18 in the premiership of Puspa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda.”

There are six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities, and 460 rural municipalities in Nepal, and CPN (UML) secured most of the essential municipalities in the local-level elections.  

CPN (UML) was in opposition during the local election, although the party won a majority position in the local government.

Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) and Nepali Congress had made alliances at different municipal levels; however, they did not get the votes from the people as per their expectations.  

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KP Oli biography

CPN (UML) was prevalent in mountain and hill areas, but the Terai region was weak. UML president Oli knew that it was impossible to form a majority government without an alliance between any two parties.

To cash an opportunity to develop a majority government, the two largest communist parties, CPN (UML) and CPN (Maoist), made an election alliance. They fought together to form the communist government under the leadership of Mr. Oli. 

On November 26 and December 7, 2017, federal and provincial elections were held in two phases in Nepal. The election elected 275 members for the Lower House of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, including seven regional assembly members. 

Following the Election Commission’s final result, KP Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) became the 41st. Prime Minister of Nepal on February 15, 2018, according to Article 76 (2) of the existing Constitution. 

Chinese President and Indian Prime Minister visit Nepal.

Xi Jinping‘s two-day state visit to Nepal on 12 and 13 October 2019 was a historical achievement of Nepal. Previous Chinese president Jiang Zemin had visited Nepal in 1996; premiers and foreign ministers had not visited Nepal since then.

After the delegation-level talks between Chinese President Xi and Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at Hotel Soaltee, ministers and officials of the two countries exchanged the 18 points memorandums of understanding and two letters of intent in the presence of the two leaders.

In eighteen, MoU was done on the Feasibility Study of the China-Nepal Cross-Border Railway Project. It is Nepal’s most awaited project. During his election campaign, Mr. Oli promised to connect Chinese high-speed rail to Nepal. 

Nepal also signed a framework agreement on the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) In 2017. The railway project got a push after the Indian Blockade of 2015 forced the Nepal government to plan alternative trade routes.

Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 and invited SAARC leaders to his swearing-in ceremony in May, including the then Nepali Prime Minister, the late Sushil Koirala.

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KP Oli biography

In August 2014, Indian Premier Narendra Modi made a political visit to Nepal after 17 years. Indian Premier I.K. Gujral made a political visit in June 1997. Other Indian PMs’ visits were only to attend multilateral meetings.

In September 2015, Modi and then-Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj expressed deep resentment toward the new Constitution. 

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KP Oli biography

A massive border blockade in the Nepal-India border supporting the Indian government marked the lowest point in India-Nepal ties. Oli became the prime minister on October 11, 2015, and requested the Indian government to end the blockade.

 After taking an oath as Nepal’s Prime minister, India asked him to visit India first. Mr. Oli rejected their invitation, saying he wouldn’t call them until they ended the economic block.

During his premiership, the undeclared block opened unofficially. After that, Mr. Oli officially visited India, and Indian Prime Minister Modi repeatedly visited Nepal. India-Nepal relations went back to the usual. 

How did comrade KP Oli become Baa’s father’ inside the communist party?  

 Nirudevi Pal, the central committee member of CPN (UML), is the first to tell Oli Baa for KP Oli. She is a Member of Parliament of the House of Representatives of Nepal, and she addressed KP ‘Baa’ in the parliamentary sessions. Then, the BA word became viral. 

Mahesh Basnet Party youth leader and Minister of Industry wrote an autobiography called ” Ma Mahesh,” which UML president KP Oli released on August 12, 2015.

At that program, minister Basnet publicly said, “He cares for me like my father, so there is no problem telling him Ba.” 

Oli was the founding president of the Democratic National Youth Federation, Nepal (DNYF), in 1990, and Pal and Basnet have grown up from the DNYF in their political careers. 

In the CPN (UML) central committee meeting, there was an objection from ex-general Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, who opposed others saying Baa to the party president.

During the session, Oli defended him, saying, “I might behave like a son and daughter with them.”  

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Leader Pal told complete confidence that he is a father like Mana Mohan Adhikari of the CPN (UML). 

In the past, Leader Basnet used to say “friend” to address the leader but later started saying, comrades. Youth organizations began calling him ‘Baa.’ Youth leader Basnet claimed that the young generation and the same age leaders like CPN (UML) Bagmati province President Ananda Prasad Pokharel also called him ‘Baa.’

All the reasons to call him ‘Baa’ are his nature of behaving like his wards and his immediate response in time of need.

Radhika Shakya was accepting KP Sharma Oli.

KP Sharma Oli met with Radhika Shakya during the Panchayat rule; She was a Communist party fellow. The Party leaders coordinated his meeting with Radhika. 

During the first meeting, Oli told Radhika, “I was in jail for 14 years. I had Tuberculosis (TB) and an ulcer. I can be ill anytime and cannot guarantee you a good life. I am still working underground and can be killed at any time by this government.” 

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Oli said everything clearly, so Radhika was impressed with him and agreed to marry him. The underground communist party organized a progressive communist marriage ceremony with around 20 members on Monday, February 22, 1988. Sometime later, Radhika’s parents blessed them formally. 

Radhika had completed a Master’s degree in history and economics. Radhika was a job holder in Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank of Nepal; after getting Radhika, Oli’s personal life moved quickly. 

KP Sharma Oli’s Critical health issues 

During his time in Prison, Oli got a lot of physical punishment from the police. He was frail then; his colleagues touched his sleepy body to know if he was alive or dead. 

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He faced Tuberculosis (TB) and ulcer disease during and after his jail life. And he has undergone a kidney transplant twice to date. The first Kidney transplant was done in 2007 in Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, India.

His second kidney transplant succeeded in 2020 at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Kathmandu, Nepal. He is under regular medication, so his health is improving.  

Relatives are donating their kidneys to KP Sharma Oli

Anjana Ghimire, 22 years, who was also a mother of her family’s first child, provided her Kidney to Mr. Oli for the first transplant in 2007 at Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, India.

Ghimire has a second child now, and her health is normal. She is the sister-in-law of Prime Minister Oli. Her kidney worked for 12 years. 

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Samkhya Sangraula also donated one of her kidneys to Prime Minister Oli during his second transplant. The transplant was done at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) on March 4, 2020. 

KP Sharma Oli has four honorary Ph.D. 

Oli completed his fifth grade at Pranami Primary School in Aathrai, Tehrathum. He completed his high school at Himalaya Higher Secondary School, Jhapa. Then, he taught at a primary school in the Jhapa.

After contributing to Nepalese democratic and communist movements, including the peace process, Oli was awarded four honorary Ph.D.s from various reputed Universities in Asia and America. 

In 2010, Oli was awarded the first honorary Doctorate from Greenford International University, USA. There was some controversy about his award. 

G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology of India awarded him an honorary doctorate award On April 8, 2018. 

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KP Oli biography

The UN University for Peace at Costa Rica organized a special Convocation in San Jose, Costa Rica, to honor Mr. Oli with an honorary Doctorate to achieve peace and Democracy in Nepal on October 1, 2018.  

KP Oli got his fourth honorary Ph.D. from Kangnam University, South Korea, On May 29, 2019, to contribute to Nepali politics. 

He spent much time during jail life enhancing his knowledge of Nepal and the World’s ancient and modern history. He had deep expertise in politics, history, culture, religion, and traditions. 

Expect Nepali mother tong. He has good knowledge of English, i.e., reading, writing, and speaking. Similarly, he can speak Hindi, Bhojpuri, and a little Newari.  

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his family

Oli’s mother died when he was one and a half years old. He grew up in the care of his grandmother and father. He married Radhika Shakya in 1988. Although, they don’t have any children yet. 

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His father, Mohan Prasad Oli, re-married, and he has a brother, Jaya Prasad (JP) Oli, and a sister, Bishnu Devi Siwakoti, from the 2nd mother. His father is living with his father in his home district, Jhapa.

FAQ about KP Sharma Oli in Google

Many people use the Google search engine to learn more about Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Below is the answer to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

KP Sharma Oli’s wife?

Radhika Shakya is KP Sharma Oli’s wife. On Monday, February 22, 1988, they married in Kathmandu Valley, a progressive communist marriage ceremony with around 20 party members.

Radhika Shakya was working in the Central Bank of Nepal at the time of her marriage. Since then, they have lived together in the challenging and accessible times of their life.

KP Oli’s Father?

Mohan Prasad Oli is the name of KP Oli’s father. KP Oli’s father re-married after the death of his first wife, Madhumaya Oli.

At one and a half years old, KP Oli’s mother died, and he grew up in the care of his grandmother and grandfather.

KP Oli’s son and daughter?

KP Sharma Oli doesn’t have a son or daughter. However, hundreds of Communist party leaders address KP Oli as a Baa or father.

Nepal Prime Minister 2020?

KP Sharma Oli was appointed Prime Minister for a second time on February 15, 2018. KP Sharma Oli, president of CPN(UML) with support from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), became the prime minister. From that date, he is continuing to be the prime minister.

The prime minister of Nepal 2021?

On May 13, 2021, President Bidya Devi Bhandari, albeit as a minority prime minister, as none of the opposition parties could form a majority government or lay their claim for it in the provided time frame.

Citing the provision mentioned in Article 76 (3) of the constitution, Oli, being the leader of the largest party in the House of Representatives, was the re-appointed prime minister of Nepal.

In other words, KP Sharma Oli has been the prime minister of Nepal since February 15, 2018.

References

  1. https://kpsharmaoli.com.np KP Oli’s website
  2. https://kathmandupost.com Read a brief biography on newly elected PM KP Sharma Oli
  3. https://kathmandupost.com PM Oli gets honorary doctorate from UN University for Peace
  4. https://en.setopati.com Fourth honorary Ph.D. for PM Oli
  5. https://english.khabarhub.com Samikshya, who donated one kidney to PM Oli, discharged from the hospital
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org KP Sharma Oli
  7. http://www.xinhuanet.com Xi arrives in Nepal for a state visit
  8. https://theprint.in Modi said Neighbourhood First and then ranked Nepal low in India’s priority list
  9. https://www.voanews.com Xi Becomes 1st Chinese President in 2 Decades to Visit Nepal
  10. https://ratopati.com कमरेड केपी कसरी बने ‘ओली बा’ ?
  11. http://annapurnapost.com राधिका: एक साधिका
  12. https://thahakhabar.com केपी शर्मा ओली : झापा विद्रोहदेखि दोस्रोपटक प्रधानमन्त्रीसम्म
  13. https://www.onlinekhabar.com ‘प्रधानमन्त्रीलाई मेरै मिर्गौलाले काम गरिरहोस्’
  14. https://www.setopati.com यस्तो छ ओलीको जीवनचित्रः गरिब पृष्ठभूमी र कम पढेका प्रधानमन्त्री