# Rajendra Prasad Lingden

Rajendra Prasad Lingden is a Nepali politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal. He also served as the Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. He is also the chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). He served as a member of the 1st Federal Parliament of Nepal from March 2018. He was re-elected in 2022 in the 2nd Federal Parliament of Nepal.

## Early life and education

Rajendra Lingden was born in Amarpur, in Panchthar district, to Dhan Kumari and Man Prasad Lingden. He married Sita Thapa, they have one daughter and two sons. Lingden was involved in politics from a young age. He has completed his master's degree from Tribhuvan University. He was also nominated for the position of chairman of the District Development Committee of Jhapa during the direct rule of King Gyanendra. He comes from Jhapa-3, constituency.

## Career

Lingden was involved in RPP politics from the beginning of the party's establishment. He held several positions within the party, including General Secretary, before contesting for the position of president in 2021.
On 5 December 2021, Lingden was elected Chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party by defeating the incumbent chairman, Kamal Thapa at the party's general convention. Lingden got 1,844 votes, while Kamal Thapa got 1,617 votes. A total of 413 votes were invalidated. Stating that he would accept defeat, Thapa tweeted and congratulated Lingden on his victory.
In the 2017 and 2022 elections, Lingden defeated former Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula. Sitaula was considered Girija Prasad Koirala's right-hand person in bringing Maoists, UML, and other parties together, and his defeat was seen as a rebuke of the Nepali Congress's handling of the aftermath of the peace process.
After the Rastriya Prajatantra Party's strong showing in the 2022 Nepalese general election, where the party won 14 seats, the RPP decided to join the current coalition government under Lingden's leadership. Lingden became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. On 25 February 2023, Lingden resigned from his posts, and the RPP quit the coalition government being in for less than 40 days.

## Electoral history

In the 2017 Nepalese general election, he was elected from the Jhapa 3 constituency, securing 44614 (56.52%) votes.
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Rastriya Prajatantra Party | Rajendra Prasad Lingden | 44,614 |
| | Nepali Congress | Krishna Prasad Sitaula | 31,171 |
| | CPN (Marxist–Leninist) | Navaraj Kharel | 1,306 |
| | Others | Others | 1,841 |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 4,312 |
| Result | Result | RPP gain | RPP gain |
| Source: Election Commission ||||
In the 2022 Nepalese general election, he was elected from the Jhapa 3 constituency, securing 40,662 (47.94%) votes.
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Rastriya Prajatantra Party | Rajendra Prasad Lingden | 40,662 |
| | Nepali Congress | Krishna Prasad Sitaula | 37,386 |
| | CPN (Marxist–Leninist) | Navaraj Kharel | 3,461 |
| | Others | Others | 1,384 |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 1,915 |
| Result | Result | RPP gain | RPP gain |
| Source: Election Commission ||||