KATHMANDU, July 16: Sharat Singh Bhandari, the newly-appointed Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, who is at 6th rank in the newly-formed government, had been appointed as a minister 19 times earlier. Bhandari, who became a minister within no time of stepping into politics, has become a minister for the 20th time now. He took the oath of office and secrecy on Monday.
In the Panchayat regime, Bhandari was appointed a minister for four terms. When Marich Man Shrestha was the Prime Minister of Nepal, Bhandari was given the responsibility of Assistant Minister for Panchayat and Local Development for the first time on July 16, 1986. Later, in October 1988, he was appointed a Minister of State in the government led by Shrestha. Since then, his ‘ministerial journey’ has been ongoing and continues even today.
Shrestha’s Cabinet was reshuffled twice - on August 30, 1989 and on April 1, 1990. On both occasions, Bhandari became the Minister of State for Commerce. In between the political change of 1990 and the establishment of the republican order, he has become a minister 11 times. And, since the establishment of republicanism, Bhandari has already become a minister five times.
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Bhandari became a Minister of State without Portfolio in the government led by the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on December 12, 1995. That was his first time serving as a minister after the political change of 1990. That Cabinet was reshuffled on May 17, 1996. Bhandari again became a Minister of State without portfolio. But after the Cabinet was reshuffled on January 8, 1997, he was promoted to a full minister from a Minister of State without portfolio. He became the Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture in the Cabinet led by Surya Bahadur Thapa on October 13, 1997. Thapa reshuffled the Cabinet twice - on October 27, 1997 and on December 3, 1997, respectively. Both times, Bhandari was appointed as the Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture.
Similarly, he became the Minister for Youth, Sport and Culture in the government led by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai on May 31, 1999. Bhattarai also reshuffled his Cabinet twice - on June 30, 1999 and on March 10, 2000, respectively. In the first reshuffle, Bhandari became the Minister for Youth, Sport and Culture and in the second reshuffle, the Minister for Health.
On July 26, 2001, the government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, appointed him as the health minister. On December 18, 2001. Deuba reshuffled the Cabinet, continuing Bhandari as the health minister. In the government led by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Bhandari was appointed the Minister for Tourism and Aviation on May 24, 2008.
Likewise, Bhandari was appointed the Minister for Defense in the government led by Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai on September 5, 2011. He was appointed the Minister for Energy, Irrigation and Water Resources for a short time in the KP Sharma Oli-led government on June 4, 2021.
Similarly, on 31 March 2023, during the government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, he was appointed the Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security. He was again appointed the Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security in the KP Sharma Oli-led government.
Bhandari served as a minister in the governments led by Marich Man Shrestha, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Surya Bahadur Thapa, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, KP Sharma Oli, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Bhandari also has another ‘trait’. He has switched parties in every election. He has never contested elections from the same party again.
He has contested a number of elections in the partyless Panchayat era and in the post-democracy era from political parties including the Nepali Congress, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Rastriya Janata Party, Forum Lokatantrik, Rastriya Madhesh Samajwadi Party and now he is affiliated to the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party.
