Arjun Narasingha K.C. (Nepali: अर्जुन नरसिंह केसी) (born 27 September 1947), also known as ANKC, is a Nepali politician and former professor, currently serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) from Nuwakot representing the Nepali Congress Party.[2] KC has served as minister five times in different coalition governments holding Education, Health, Housing & Physical Planning and Urban Development portfolios.[3] He most recently served as the Minister of Urban Development in the Second Dahal Cabinet from 2016 to 2017.[4] KC has been elected to the national legislature a total of four times from his constituency of Nuwakot.
Arjun Narasingha K.C. | |
|---|---|
| अर्जुन नरसिंह केसी | |
| 2nd Minister of Urban Development | |
| In office 26 August 2016 – 31 May 2017 | |
| President | Bidhya Devi Bhandari |
| Prime Minister | Pushpa Kamal Dahal |
| Preceded by | Narayan Khadka |
| Succeeded by | Prabhu Sah |
| Minister of Education and Minister of Housing & Physical Planning | |
| In office 15 April 1998 – 31 May 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | Girija Prasad Koirala |
| Minister of Health and Population | |
| In office 22 September 1995 – 12 March 1997[1] | |
| Prime Minister | Sher Bahadur Deuba |
| Preceded by | Padma Ratna Tuladhar |
| Succeeded by | Radha Krishna Mainali |
| State Minister of Health and Population | |
| In office 10 October 1982 – 3 July 1983[1] | |
| Prime Minister | Surya Bahadur Thapa |
| Preceded by | Birendra Bahadur Singh |
| Succeeded by | Omkar Prasad Gauchan |
| Member of Legislature Parliament of Nepal from Nuwakot Constituency No. 1 | |
| In office 21 January 2014 – 06 December 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Bimala Subedi |
| Succeeded by | Hit Bahadur Tamang |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 September 1947 Nuwakot, Nepal |
| Nationality | Nepali |
| Political party | Nepali Congress |
| Spouse | Pratima KC |
| Parent(s) | Bhagwan Narasingha (father) Yasoda Devi KC (mother) |
| Alma mater | Tribhuwan University (M.A.) |
| Website | arjunnarasinghakc |
He has served in the capacity of Joint General Secretary of the Nepali Congress (NC) and the spokesperson of the party.[2]
In the 14th General Convention of the Nepali Congress, KC put forward his candidacy for the Central Committee citing the need for youth leadership in the party. He is now a Senior Leader in the Central Executive Committee advocating for anti-corruption laws, transparency and accountability in the parliament and within the party.[5]
Early life and education
editArjun Narasingha KC was born on 27 September 1950 to Bhagwan Narasingha K.C and Yasoda Devi KC in Rautbesi, Nuwakot.
KC holds a master's degree in political science from Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.[6] Prior to entering politics, he was a Professor and Head of the Political Science department at the Tribhuvan University and also a practicing advocate.[7]
In addition, he completed a fellowship at Tufts University, Fletcher School of Diplomacy, Boston, USA in International Relations and Foreign Policy decision making in 1982.
Political career
editEarly Political Career
editKC first entered the political arena being elected as the General Secretary of Shanti Vidya Griha High School from 1961-63.[8] He then served subsequently as the Vice Chairperson and Chairperson of National (currently known as Shanker Dev Campus) from 1964-1967. He is a founding member and coordinator of the Nepal Student Union. In 1973, he was elected as the Central Member of the Democratic Socialist Youth League convened by the NC in Varanasi.[8]
At the instructions of the senior Congress leadership, KC ran and won a seat in the 1981 Rastriya Panchayat Election, contesting as an independent.[9]
KC first served as the State Minister for Health under Surya Bahadur Thapa from 1982 to 1983 and then as the Minister for Health, Education and Physical Planning from 1995 to 1999.[10][11] KC was elected as a member of parliament twice in the 1991 and 1994 parliamentary elections.[7][12]
Minister of Health and Population (1995 - 1997)
editIn 1996, KC played a critical role in the overhaul of the Nepali healthcare system aimed at getting the surplus of doctors in urban areas to move out into the understaffed hill and terai regions.[13] He introduced strong incentives, more rapid promotion, and increased allowances and training opportunities for those working in underserved regions of Nepal. In addition, stricter enforcement of promotion criteria, and limitation of "kaaj"-the oft-used loophole by which a doctor posted to the hills could arrange a return to the city on a temporary but indefinite transfer. The new legislation restricted this practice to one month per year.
In 1999, KC was nominated as the Chief of the International Relation Department of the Nepali Congress party. On September 25, 2000, KC was appointed as the spokesperson of the Nepali Congress by then party president Girija Prasad Koirala.[14]
Role during the 2006 Revolution
editOn 16 February 2005, Nepali Police arrested KC at the party office in Sanepa for the first time since the king clamped a state of emergency and banned protests, detained key party leaders and suspended fundamental rights.[15]
KC spent three months in jail before being released and he was arrested again a week after while attending a party meeting in Banke, Nepal.[16] KC was appointed as the Joint-General Secretary by GP Koirala after the 11th General Convention of the Nepali Congress, which was held in Kathmandu in August 2005.[17]
Federal Republic Era
editKC was a candidate from Nuwakot 1 (constituency) in the 2008 Nepali Constituent Assembly election but lost to CPN (Maoist) candidate Bimala Subedi.
On September 21, 2010, KC was elected for the third time as the Central Committee member in the 12th General Convention of the Nepali Congress, securing the second highest votes - 2,034 out of 3,087 votes cast.
The first constituent assembly was dissolved due to its failure to promulgate the constitution in time.[18] The second constituent assembly elections were held on November 19, 2013. Once again, KC placed his candidacy from Nuwakot 1 and was elected with a margin of over 8,000 votes against UCPN (Maoist) candidate Bimala Subedi.[19]
Minister of Urban Development (2016 - 2017)
editDuring his stint at the Ministry of Urban Development, KC played a strong fole in promoting sustainable development goals while formulating the fiscal program for the upcoming year. On April 23, 2017, KC instituted the People’s Housing Program with the goal of providing 25,000 homes to the disadvantaged communities outside the valley.[20]
In addition, on April 26, 2017, KC gave the final nod to begin the construction of the outer ring road in Kathmandu to make urbanization more systematic. The proposed 71.93 km road was shelved for over 13 years due to political infighting and corruption. The first phase of the construction of the outer ring road will commence along 6.6 km Chobhar-Gamcha-Satungal stretch from the forthcoming fiscal and cover approximately 8,000 ropanis of land area belonging to over 14,000 landowners. Of the total length of the ring road, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur will have a coverage of 35.08 km, 15.80 km and 21.05 km respectively.[21]
Current Activities
editHe lost in the 2017 elections to CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) common candidate Narayan Khatiwada.[22]
In the 14th General Convention, KC played a leading role forming the Koirala-KC-Thapa camp in preparation for the party elections.[23]
KC was once again elected to the Central Working Committee with 2,650 votes, during the 14th General Convention.[24]
On January 28, 2022, KC was nominated to the Central Executive Committee, consisting of the top leadership of the Central Congress Party, by party president Sher Bahadur Deuba.[25]
On February 17, KC released a book 'Brief History of the Nepali Congress' at the official residence of the Prime Minister in Baluwatar. PM Deuba launched the book and expressed the view that all the citizens should read the book written by KC, saying the book would be a guideline to anyone who wanted to know about the party's history.[26]
Electoral history
editElection in the 1990s
edit1991 legislative elections (Nuwakot 3)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nepali Congress | Arjun Narasingha K.C. | 11,086 | |
| CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | Mahendra Pande | 10,140 | |
| Result | Congress gain | ||
| Source: [2] | |||
1994 legislative elections (Nuwakot 3)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nepali Congress | Arjun Narasingha K.C. | 15,951 | |
| Rastriya Prajatantra Party | Prakash Chandra Lohani | 10,387 | |
| Result | Congress hold | ||
| Source: Election Commission[27] | |||
1999 legislative elections (Nuwakot 3)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | Mahendra Pande | 13,177 | |
| Nepali Congress | Arjun Narasingha K.C. | 12,808 | |
| Result | CPN (UML) gain | ||
| Source: [3] | |||
Election in the 2000s
edit2008 Constituent Assembly election (Nuwakot 1)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPN (Maoist) | Bimala Subedi | 20,581 | |
| Nepali Congress | Arjun Narasingha K.C. | 12,984 | |
| CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | Rajendra Prakash Lohani | 6,730 | |
| Rastriya Janashakti Party | Rajendra Prasad Shrestha | 4,720 | |
| CPN (Marxist–Leninist) | Kedar Nath Bajgain | 2,237 | |
| Others | 1,648 | ||
| Invalid votes | 3,286 | ||
| Result | Maoist gain | ||
| Source: Election Commission[28] | |||
2013 Constituent Assembly election (Nuwakot 1)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nepali Congress | Arjun Narasingha K.C. | 17,346 | |
| UCPN (Maoist) | Bimala Subedi | 9,145 | |
| Rastriya Prajatantra Party | Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani | 6,927 | |
| CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | Keshav Raj Pandey | 6,401 | |
| Others | 1,235 | ||
| Result | Congress gain | ||
| Source: NepalNews[19] | |||
2017 legislative elections (Nuwakot 2)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | Narayan Prasad Khatiwada | 36,892 | |
| Nepali Congress | Arjun Narasingha K.C. | 26,335 | |
| Others | 1,830 | ||
| Invalid votes | 4,770 | ||
| Result | CPN (UML) gain | ||
| Source: Election Commission | |||
2022 general election (Nuwakot 2)
edit| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arjun Narasingha K.C. | Nepali Congress | 28,107 | 44.61 | |
| Suman Bikram Pandey | Rastriya Swatantra Party | 16,477 | 26.15 | |
| Narayan Prasad Khatiwada | CPN (UML) | 15,561 | 24.70 | |
| Jhanak Pyakurel | Rastriya Prajatantra Party | 1,571 | 2.49 | |
| Others | 1,288 | 2.04 | ||
| Total | 63,004 | 100.00 | ||
| Majority | 11,630 | |||
| Nepali Congress gain | ||||
| Source: [29] | ||||
Personal life
editKC has five children including four daughters and one son. His second oldest daughter, Anjana KC Thapa, married popular youth leader and former Health Minister Gagan Thapa.[30]
His younger brother, Jagadiswar Narsingh KC, served in both the first and second Constituent Assembly and was elected three times as the President of Nepali Congress Nuwakot.[31]
In addition, Kedar Narsingh KC, his brother, previously served as the President of the Nepal Medical Council and the Director of the Tuberculosis Center in Thimi, Nepal. He is the Former President of the Society for Democratic Thinking, a think tank based in Kathmandu.[32][33]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Policies" (PDF). hdixit.org.np. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ a b Nepali Congress Party Archived 6 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Tenth Congress convention: When Deuba was up against another Koirala". 4 February 2016.
- ^ "13 new ministers take oath from President". 26 August 2016.
- ^ "शेखरको अबको बाटो : देउवा सुध्रिए सहकार्य, नभए संघर्ष". Online Khabar. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "nepalese-people-did-not-fight-to-handover-the-regime-from-one-authoritarian-to-the-other". Telegraphnepal.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ a b [1] Archived 3 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae". arjunnarasinghakc.com. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ Shaha, Rishikesh. Politics in Nepal 1980–1990. New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 1990. p. 111.
- ^ Reports healthnet.org.np Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Archived copy Archived 19 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "King Gyanendra's regime will fall". Asian Tribune. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Smith, Ian (February 1996). "KATHMANDU Who will benefit from Nepal's reforms?". The Lancet. 347 (9000): 531. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(96)91156-3. S2CID 54357414. ProQuest 199015935.
- ^ "2002-00-00 - report - FES | २०५८-००-०० - प्रतिवेदन - एफईएस". nepalconflictreport.ohchr.org. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Nepali leaders jailed before protests". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Nepali Congress spokesman, 5 others arrested | Asia News". Zee News. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ News, Nepal. "History of NC General Convention". nepalnews.com. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "CA dissolved; PM proposes fresh election for Nov 22". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Nepalnews.com - News from Nepal as it happens". 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ Lawaju, Hasana (23 April 2017). "Govt to build houses for disadvantaged communities". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ Sureis (8 May 2017). "Govt gives final push for outer ring road project". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Intra-party rift to blame for NC poll debacle".
- ^ "बेग्लै हुन्थ्यो कांग्रेसको तस्वीर यी चार नेताले 'बेइमानी' नगरेका भए". Nepal Live. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ Republica. "16 new faces elected in NC's Central Working Committee from open category". My Republica. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "Nepali Congress forms 37-member Central Executive Committee (With list)". Nepal Press. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "You are being redirected..." thehimalayantimes.com. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "Finalised Constituencies With Top Two Candidates". 24 January 2008. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Ca Election report". 3 October 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "प्रतिनिधि सभा सदस्य निर्वाचनमा उम्मेदवारहरुको सुची". Election Commission of Nepal.
- ^ "What does it take to win the race for NC general secretary: Lineage, age or youth?". 8 March 2016.
- ^ "केसी परिवारको ६० बर्षे योगदान : क्षेत्र नम्बर १ का जनताले डाक्टर केसीलाई रोज्ने". nuwakotnews.com. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ Weekly, इमेज साप्ताहिक Image. "नेताहरूको आँखामा नुवाकोटको क्षेत्र नं. १". Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "नुवाकोट क्षेत्र नम्बर १ बाट चुनाव लड्छुः डा. केदारनरसिंह केसी". Bagamati Press. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
External links
edit- Nepali Congress
- Arjun Narasingha K.C. Archived 21 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine