DigiNepal
Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Ministry of External Affairs · GODL-India
Suggest a better photo · Report

Pushpa Kamal Dahal

पुष्पकमल दाहाल

Nepalese politician and former prime minister

नेपालीमा पढ्नुहोस् · हिंदी में पढ़ें

  • नेपाली · English · हिंदीRead in your language
  • CitedEvery fact sourced
  • Ad-freeNo ads, no tracking

Pushpa Kamal Dahal (born Ghanashyam Dahal; 11 December 1954), popularly known as Prachanda, is a Nepalese politician. He is a member of House of Representatives elected from Eastern Rukum. He has been the prime minister of Nepal for three terms: from 2008 to 2009, from 2016 to 2017, and again from December 2022 until July 2024. His third term ended on 12 July 2024 after he lost a vote of confidence in parliament. He was then succeeded by K. P. Sharma Oli. After leaving office, Dahal became the Leader of the Opposition on 15 July 2024, remaining in that position until September 2025.

Quick facts

Born
wd
Place of birth
Dhikur Pokhari wd
Citizenship
Nepal wd
Occupation
politician, military personnel wd
Political party
Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Centre) (1991–1994), Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) (1984–1991), Communist Party of Nepal (Masal) (1983–1984), Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention) (until 1983) wd
Education
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science wd
Official website
cmprachanda.com wd
Social media
X (Twitter) · Facebook wd

Public office

Officeholder record, tenure and sources →

Positions held wd

About

Having been drawn to left-wing politics after seeing severe poverty during his youth, Dahal joined the Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention) in 1981, and later became general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) in 1989. This party later became the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Dahal was the leader of the CPN (M) during the country's civil war and subsequent peace process and the 1st Nepalese constituent assembly. In the 2008 elections, CPN(M) emerged as the largest party, and Dahal became prime minister in August of that year. He resigned from the post on 4 May 2009, after his attempt to sack the then army chief, Rookmangud Katawal, was opposed by then President Ram Baran Yadav. Dahal was sworn in as prime minister for a second time in 2016, as per an agreement to form a rotational government with the Nepali Congress, and resigned on 24 May 2017 to make way for Congress' Sher Bahadur Deuba. Following the 2022 general election, Dahal was sworn in as prime minister again in December 2022, with support from a coalition of parties including CPN (UML), Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party. Dahal remained in power for 19 months, changing alliances between the UML and Congress three times, before he was ousted by a failed motion of confidence in the…

Early life and education

Quoted from Wikipedia: Pushpa Kamal Dahal (CC BY-SA 4.0); each sentence links the source Wikipedia cites for it. Checked 7 November 2026.

  • He was born Ghanashyam Dahal on 11 December 1954 in Lewade, Dhikur Pokhari, a VDC 20 km north from Pokhara, to Muktiram and Bhawani, a Brahmin Hindu family. The Hindu Rowman & Littlefield
  • He later changed his name during a matriculation examination to Pushpa Kamal (meaning: Lotus Flower). web.archive.org web.archive.org news.indiainfo.com
  • At the age of eight, his family migrated to the Terai, a fertile lowland region in southern Nepal, and settled in Chitwan District. Rowman & Littlefield
  • In the 1950s, his father Muktiram moved to Indian state of Assam, where he worked as a firewood collector, and returned home in 1961. Rowman & Littlefield
  • In 1971, Pushpa Kamal Dahal moved to Kathmandu for his studies, and was enrolled in Patan Multiple Campus for two years. Rowman & Littlefield
  • He moved back to Chitwan and received a diploma of science in agriculture from Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) in Rampur, Chitwan. nytimes.com Verso Books

Key decisions and achievements

  • Dahal met for talks with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on 16 June 2006, which was thought to be his first visit to the capital Kathmandu in more than a decade. news.bbc.co.uk www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
  • The two sides also agreed to disarm at a later date, under international supervision. theguardian.com
  • The CPN(M) rejoined the government on 30 December 2007, after an agreement to abolish the monarchy following the election, and to have a system of partial proportional representation in the election. in.reuters.com
  • Following power-sharing discussions that lasted several months, Dahal was elected as prime minister by the Constituent Assembly on 15 August 2008, and he was sworn in as prime minister on 18 August 2008. nepalnews.com
  • After winning a remarkable majority in the Constitutional Assembly elections, Dahal was nominated for the Prime Ministership by the party. AlertNet
  • He also won overwhelmingly in Rolpa constituency-2, receiving 34,230 votes against 6,029 for Shanta Kumar Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), CPN(UML). nepalnews.com

In the news All news →

Questions

When was Pushpa Kamal Dahal born?
Pushpa Kamal Dahal was born on 11 December 1954 in Dhikur Pokhari.
What positions has Pushpa Kamal Dahal held?
Positions held by Pushpa Kamal Dahal include: Prime Minister of Nepal (2022–2024); Prime Minister of Nepal (2016–2017); Prime Minister of Nepal (2008–2009); Member of the Nepalese Constituent Assembly; Member of the Parliament of Nepal.
Where did Pushpa Kamal Dahal study?
Pushpa Kamal Dahal was educated at Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (English): Pushpa Kamal Dahal · CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Wikipedia (Nepali): पुष्पकमल दाहाल · CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Wikidata item Q315500 · CC0 1.0
  4. Image: Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda".jpg by Ministry of External Affairs (GODL-India)
  5. Wikipedia (English), revision used for cited facts: Pushpa Kamal Dahal · CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. The Hindu: Prachanda elected Prime Minister of Nepal (16 August 2008)
  7. Rowman & Littlefield: Pathways to Power: The Domestic Politics of South Asia (19 December 2013)
  8. web.archive.org: "Profile: Prachanda, from commander to prime minister."
  9. web.archive.org: Nepali PM Prachanda Sworn In
  10. news.indiainfo.com: It will be nostalgia time for Prachanda in India
  11. nytimes.com: "Where Maoists Still Matter"
  12. Verso Books: The Bullet and the Ballot Box: The Story of Nepal's Maoist Revolution (7 October 2014)
  13. news.bbc.co.uk: "Maoists to join Nepal government,"
  14. www1.timesofindia.indiatimes.com: "Power Play,"
  15. theguardian.com: "After a decade of fighting, Nepal's Maoist rebels embrace government,"
  16. in.reuters.com: "Nepal Maoists rejoin cabinet after monarchy deal,"
  17. nepalnews.com: "PM Dahal sworn in"
  18. AlertNet: Nepal Maoists want their chief as president (25 January 2008)
  19. nepalnews.com: "Prachanda wins from Rolpa-2 as well"

Last updated · facts checked 7 November 2026

Cite this page

"Pushpa Kamal Dahal". DigiNepal. Last updated 5 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/pushpa-kamal-dahal. Retrieved 7 November 2026.

Machine-readable versions: JSON · Markdown

Text from the Wikipedia article Pushpa Kamal Dahal, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda".jpg — Ministry of External Affairs, GODL-India.

Is this you, or do you work in this person's office? Claim this profile

← People