Pushpa Kamal Dahal Facts for Kids

Senior party positions


Chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre)
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 March 2021
Preceded by	Position re-established
In office 1994–2018
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party
In office 17 May 2018 – 8 March 2021 Serving with KP Sharma Oli
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished

Parliamentary offices

Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 December 2022
Preceded by	Baburam Bhattarai
Constituency	Gorkha 2
In office 4 March 2018 – 18 September 2022
Preceded by	Krishna Bhakta Pokharel
Succeeded by	Bikram Pandey
Constituency	Chitwan 3
Member of the Constituent Assembly / Legislature Parliament
In office 21 January 2014 – 14 October 2017
Preceded by	Mahendra Paswan
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Constituency	Siraha 5
In office 28 May 2008 – 28 May 2012
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Rajendra Kumar KC
Constituency	Kathmandu 10

Personal details

Born

Ghanashyam Dahal

11 December 1954 (age 70)
Lewade, Dhikur Pokhari VDC, Pokhara, Nepal

Political party

CPN (Maoist Centre) (1994–2018; 2021–present)

Other political
affiliations

Nepal Communist Party (2018–2021)
CPN (Unity Centre) (1991–1994)
CPN (Mashal) (1984–1991)
CPN (Masal) (1983–1984)
CPN (Fourth Convention) (before 1983)

Spouse

Sita Poudel

(m. 1969; died 2023)

Children

4, including Renu

Alma mater

Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University

Nickname

Prachanda

Pushpa Kamal Dahal (born on December 11, 1954) is a famous politician from Nepal. He is better known by his nickname Prachanda, which means "fierce" in the Nepali language. He has been the Prime Minister of Nepal three different times.

Dahal has been a major figure in Nepal's politics for many years. He was a leader during the Nepalese Civil War, a period of conflict that led to big changes in the country. After the war, he helped Nepal transition from a monarchy to a republic. This means the country is now led by a president instead of a king.

In July 2024, he became the Leader of the Opposition. This is an important role in government for the leader of the main party not in power.

Early Life and Education
Leading the Nepalese Civil War
- The Path to Peace
Serving as Prime Minister
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and Education

Pushpa Kamal Dahal was born with the name Ghanashyam Dahal in a village near Pokhara, Nepal. His family belonged to the Brahmin Hindu community. When he was eight, his family moved to the Chitwan District in southern Nepal.

As a young man, Dahal saw a lot of poverty around him, which made him interested in politics. He believed in left-wing ideas, which focus on creating more equality for people.

For his education, he moved to Kathmandu and later studied agriculture at the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science. After finishing his studies, he worked as a schoolteacher in a village until 1979.

Leading the Nepalese Civil War

Dahal speaking at a rally in Pokhara.

In the 1980s, Dahal became involved with communist political parties. By 1994, he was the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). This group believed that Nepal's government and society needed a complete change.

In 1996, his party presented the government with a list of 40 demands. These demands were about improving life for ordinary people, protecting Nepal's independence, and changing the social system. When the government did not meet these demands, the party began the Nepalese Civil War.

For ten years, Dahal led the military efforts of his party. The conflict was mainly fought in the mountainous regions of Nepal. The goal was to remove the king and create a new government that would give more power to the people.

The Path to Peace

The civil war was a difficult time for Nepal. In 2005, Dahal and other political parties began to work together. They agreed that the king's power was the main problem holding the country back.

In 2006, huge protests took place across Nepal. These protests forced King Gyanendra to give up his power and bring back the parliament. After this, Dahal's party announced a ceasefire, a temporary stop to the fighting.

Dahal and other leaders signed a peace agreement. They decided to create a new constitution and let the people decide if Nepal should remain a monarchy. This peace process ended the long civil war.

Serving as Prime Minister

Dahal has led Nepal as prime minister three times. Each time, he faced different challenges and worked with different political parties.

First Term (2008–2009)

Dahal (third from left), Baburam Bhattarai (fourth from left)

After the civil war ended, Nepal held an important election in 2008. Dahal's party, the CPN (Maoist), won the most seats. This was a major victory and showed that many people supported their ideas for change.

In August 2008, Dahal became the first prime minister of the new Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. During his first term, he promised to work with other parties to write a new constitution. He also told other countries, like India and China, that Nepal wanted to have good relationships with them.

He resigned in May 2009 after a disagreement with the president over the leadership of the army.

Second Term (2016–2017)

In August 2016, Dahal was elected prime minister for a second time. This was part of a power-sharing deal with another major party, the Nepali Congress.

He served for about ten months before stepping down in May 2017. This allowed the leader of the Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba, to become prime minister as they had agreed.

Third Term (2022–2024)

After the general election in 2022, Dahal became prime minister for a third time in December. He formed a government with the support of several different parties.

During this term, he changed his political partners, known as coalitions, several times. He worked with both the CPN (UML) and the Nepali Congress at different points.

His third term ended in July 2024. He lost a vote of confidence in parliament, which is a vote to see if a leader still has the support of the majority of lawmakers.

Personal Life

Dahal married Sita Poudel in 1969. They had four children together, including their daughter Renu Dahal, who is also a politician. His wife, Sita, passed away in 2023.

Following Marxist ideas, Dahal is an atheist, which means he does not believe in a god. He stopped practicing the Hindu religion when he was a teenager.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal facts for kids

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