KATHMANDU, March 18: Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav, the parliamentary party leader of Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal and a former minister, has been elected as the new vice president of Nepal.

Yadav emerged victorious in the voting held on Friday, defeating Asta Laxmi Shakya of the CPN-UML and Mamata Jha of the Janamat Party.

The three candidates were vying for the position of vice president. Yadav received support from the Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), and the ruling coalition partners in the election for the country’s third vice president.

The voting, which began at 10:00 am on Friday morning, concluded at 3:00 pm with a total of 311 federal lawmakers and 518 provincial assembly members participating in the process.

The total number of voters was 332 from the Federal Parliament and 550 from the provincial level for the vice presidential election. The voting weightage of a Federal Parliament member was 79, followed by 48 for a Provincial Assembly member.

The polling center for the election was set up at the New Baneshwar-based Federal Parliament building. According to the Constitution of Nepal, 2015, the vice president performs the functions of the president during the latter's absence, and the term of the vice president is of five years from the date of election.

Yadav is considered close to JSP Chairman Upendra Yadav. Party insiders say the election of Yadav has paved the way for Chairman Yadav, who was defeated in the recently-held parliamentary election, to contest in the by-election to be held in the constituency of Vice President-elect Yadav. 

The newly-elected Vice President Yadav was born in Kachorwa-8, Bara district, in 2017 BS to late Prasad Raya Yadav and Sihawa Devi Yadav. He started his political journey after the Madhesh Movement and joined Nepal Sadbhawana Party.

Yadav served as a teacher for 23 years, teaching mathematics and science. He was elected to the House of Representatives (HoR) from Bara constituency Number 2 in the parliamentary election held on November 20, 2022.

Yadav earned his B.Sc from Sitamadhi College in India and B.Ed from Thakurram Multiple Campus, Birgunj. Yadav was affiliated with the Madhesi People's Rights Forum in 2059 BS and was elected as a Constituent Assembly (CA) member in 2064 BS.

Yadav was also elected as the party's general secretary in 2065 BS. Yadav served as the Minister for Forest in the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led cabinet in 2078 BS and was also the parliamentary party leader of Janata Samajwadi Party.

As a representative of his government and party, Yadav has visited the United States of America, Poland, the UK, Belgium, the UAE, and several other countries.

 
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