Bidya Devi Bhandari (Nepali:विद्यादेवी भण्डारी,pronounced[bid̚djadebibʱʌɳɖaɾi]; born 19 June 1961) is a Nepali former politician who served as the secondpresident of Nepal from 2015 to 2023. She formerly served as the minister of defence and minister of environment and population.
Bhandari was born on 19 June 1961 inMane Bhanjyang,Bhojpur, to Ram Bahadur Pandey and Mithila Pandey.[12] She completed her school level education in Bhojpur and pursued her higher education in Biratnagar, Morang. Her political career began with membership of a leftist student union. She joined theCommunist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist) in 1980.[9]
Meeting with theBIMSTEC leaders in Kathmandu, Nepal on August 30, 2018
Bhandari was active in politics from an early age. According to the details provided by the CPN (UML), Bhandari joined politics as an activist of the Youth League of CPN (ML) in 1978, from Bhojpur.[9] She played a role as an in-charge for Eastern Zone Committee of ANNFSU from 1979 to 1987. Her active political journey, however, started when she received party membership from the CPN (ML) in 1980. After completing her school level study, Bhandari was enrolled inMahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus where she was elected treasurer of the students' union. Also, she played a pivotal role as chairperson of the women's wing ofGEFONT from 1993 until being elected a central committee member of the CPN (UML) in 1997.
Bhandari was first elected to the parliament in a by-election in January 1994, caused by the death of her husband, the sitting member fromKathmandu–1, where she defeated former prime ministerKrishna Prasad Bhattarai. In the1994 general election, she was elected fromKathmandu–2, defeating house speakerDaman Nath Dhungana.[13] She served as the Minister for Environment and Population in a coalition government led by prime ministerLokendra Bahadur Chand in 1997. She was re-elected from Kathmandu–2 in the1999 general election. However, she was defeated in the2008 Constituent Assembly poll, and was later nominated under the proportional electoral system. She served as theMinister of Defence in thecabinet of prime ministerMadhav Kumar Nepal. She was re-elected under the proportional electoral system in the2013 elections. Her influence in the party remained dominant when she was elected as vice-chairperson of the CPN (UML) in its eighth general convention held inButwal.[14] Bhandari, who was re-elected vice-chairperson in the party's next general convention, is considered a close confidante to party chairman and prime ministerKP Sharma Oli.
After the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015, Bhandari was elected president by anindirect election held in the parliament on 28 October 2015. She defeated Nepali Congress' Kul Bahadur Gurung, receiving 327 votes against Gurung's 214 votes. She thus became Nepal's second president and first female head of state. She was re-elected in2018, defeating Congress' Kumari Laxmi Rai.
Bhandari renewed her membership in the CPN–UML and re-entered active politics in July 2025.[15]
Bhandari has been accused of taking a partisan stance since she was elected president. She held onto the National Assembly election ordinance delaying the formation of the government after the2017 legislative elections. She also held the nomination of three members toNational Assembly sent by the outgoingDeuba government but immediately approved the nominations sent in by the incoming Prime MinisterKP Sharma Oli.[16] Bhandari passed the ordinance brought for citizenship brought upon byKP Sharma Oli government which was finally denied bySupreme Court to be a matter requiring discussion in parliament.[17][18] After it came being approved by majority from parliament by Deuba cabinet it was denied by her.[19] Bhandari has been accused of taking a partisan stance when she approved both the decisions of cabinet to dissolve the House of Representatives against the Constitution of Nepal. She did not appointSher Bahadur Deuba as Prime Minister of Nepal, although showing majority signature present in House. Instead she dissolved parliament supportingKP Sharma Oli. The decision was challenged by the Supreme Court of Nepal, along with signature of majority (146) MPs.[20] On 12 July 2021, the Supreme Court stated the decision of parliament dissolution by Bhandari was unlawful.[21] Similarly, it ordered to appoint Deuba as the next prime minister of Nepal citing article 76(5) of theConstitution of Nepal within 28 hours. It stated that the decision made by Bhandari was against the norms of the constitution. This was celebrated by the then opposition alliance led by theNepali Congress, including alliesCPN (Maoist Centre) andJanata Samajbadi Party.[22] Bhandari has received criticism for usingluxury vehicles for her presidential duties.[23]
On 13 July 2021, Bhandari appointed Deuba as prime minister without including any article of Constitution and stating as per the order of Court. This created cold dispute and people alleged Bhandari was forgetting her limits and being tilted to Oli. After Deuba denied taking oath as per the appointment letter, it was changed and stated that Deuba was made prime minister in accordance with article 76(5) marking Deuba's fifth term as prime minister.[24]
Bidya Devi Bhandari was born on 19 June 1961 inManebhanjyang,Nepal. Bhandari was married toMadan Bhandari, a popular Nepalese communist leader, who died in a car accident nearDasdhunga,Chitwan in 1993. The couple had two daughters, Usha Kiran Bhandari and Nisha Kusum Bhandari. She is also related to Nepali Congress leaderGyanendra Bahadur Karki.[13]
^"Enemies within".Nepali Times. 22 January 2010. Archived fromthe original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved22 March 2014.
^Manandhar, Razen; Tuladhar, Subhechha Bindu (2009)."Bidhya Bhandari".Working Women Journalists. Archived fromthe original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved22 March 2014.
_cropped.jpg)
.JPG)
