Harka Sampang
Harka Raj Sampang Rai | |
|---|---|
| हर्कराज साम्पाङ राई | |
.png) Sampang in 2025 | |
| Member of Parliament, House of Representatives | |
| Assumed office 26 March 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Ashok Rai |
| Constituency | Sunsari 1 |
| 1st Chairman of the Shram Sanskriti Party | |
| Assumed office 2 November 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| 6th Mayor of Dharan | |
| In office 23 May 2022 – 19 January 2026 | |
| Deputy | Aindra Bikram Begha |
| Preceded by | Tilak Rai |
| Succeeded by | Aindra Bikram Begha (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 February 1983 |
| Party | Shram Sanskriti Party |
| Spouse | Nirmala Limbu |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | Tribhuvan University (MA English) Tribhuvan University (MA Political Science) |
Known for | Starting Shramdaan movement in Nepal |
Harka Raj Sampang Rai[a] (born 27 February 1983) is a Nepali politician, social activist and businessman who is the founder and leader of the Shram Sanskriti Party (SSP). He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) from Sunsari 1 since 2026.
Born in Khartamchha, Sampang studied from Mahendra Multiple Campus and worked as a tutor before going to Iraq and Afghanistan for employment. After returning to Nepal, he started social activism and promoted the Shramdaan movement in the country. After winning the 2022 Dharan municipal election, Sampang served as the 6th mayor of Dharan, being the first independent candidate to have been elected as mayor of Dharan. He is also famous for make in Nepal enisetives.[1][2][3]
After the 2025 Gen Z protests in Nepal, he founded the Shram Sanskriti Party and won his seat from Sunsari 1 in the 2026 general election. The SSP became the fifth-largest party in the Nepali parliament, becoming one of the fastest-growing Nepali parties.
Early life and education
He was born in Khartamchha, Khotang which is in present-day Kepilasgadhi rural municipality. His father was a former British Gorkha soldier. He moved to Dharan in 1998 after completing his SLC examinations to pursue higher education.[4] He graduated in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and Political Science from Mahendra Multiple Campus in Dharan and started working as a tutor.[5] After completing his higher education he had gone to Iraq and Afghanistan for employment.[6][7]
Political career
Rai contested the 2017 by-elections for the mayor of Dharan as an independent but only managed to get 422 votes.[6] He again contested for the post of mayor at the 2022 elections still as an independent and was elected after getting a vote share of 39.8%.[8] He was the first independent candidate elected as mayor of Dharan.[8][9][10]
In the 2026 general elections, he ran under the new Shram Sanskriti Party which he founded, from the Sunsari-1 constituency,[11] defeating major party candidates and winning a seat in the House of Representatives with 35,741 votes.[12]
Activism
After six years working abroad he returned to Dharan and opened the National Unity Network to protest against corruption. He was also involved in protests against tax raises, illegal sand extraction from rivers and the water scarcity in Dharan.[7] In 2016, Rai became the coordinator of people displaced by the expansion of the Madan Bhandari Inner Terai Highway.[6][5] He built Shram Sanskriti Park to showcase the history of Dharan.
In 2025, Sampang founded the Shram Sanskriti Party. His party is currently fifth largest in the Nepali parliament.[9][13][14] He is part of the opposition to the government of Prime Minister Balen Shah.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Harka Raj Rai Sampang | 20,821 | 39.8% | +39.0% | |
| Congress | Kishore Rai | 16,051 | 30.7% | −19.0% | |
| CPN (UML) | Manju Bhandari Subedi | 12,825 | 24.5% | −20% | |
| RPP | Naresh Kumar Shakya | 1,488 | 2.8% | +2.5% | |
| Others | 1,142 | 2.2% | |||
| Total votes | 52,335 | 100.0% | |||
| Rejected ballots | 10,562 | ||||
| Turnout | 62,897 | ||||
| Registered electors | 100,324 | ||||
| Independent gain from Congress | Swing | +29.0% | |||
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ "Harka Sampang wins Sunsari-1". Kathmandu Post. The Kathmandu Post. 2026-03-08. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
- ↑ Roshani Shrestha Pathak (2026-03-08). "Harka Sampang Wins Sunsari-1 Election With 35,741 Votes, Defeats RSP's Goma Tamang". Khoj Samachar. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
- ↑ "Harka Sampang wins Sunsari-1 election". Setopati. 2026-03-08. Retrieved 2026-04-16.
- ↑ "हर्क साम्पाङ् जसले धरानको तिर्खा मेट्ने लक्ष्य राखेका छन्". BBC News नेपाली (in Nepali).
- 1 2 "हर्क साम्पाङ- अ रेभुलुसन". Setopati. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
- 1 2 3 धरान, रोहित राई. "को हुन् धरानका 'वेटिङ मेयर' हर्कराज राई साम्पाङ?". Nagarik News.
- 1 2 "धरानवासीले किन पत्याए हर्क साम्पाङलाई?". Himal Khabar. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
- 1 2 "Independent candidate Harka Raj Rai elected mayor of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City". The Kathmandu Post.
- 1 2 "धरानका मेयरको घोषणा- मोटरसाइकल नै चढ्छु". Naya Patrika.
- ↑ "हर्क साम्पाङमाथि पहिले लाठीचार्ज, अहिले फूल र अबिरको वर्षा". Kantipur (daily) (in Nepali).
- ↑ "Harka Sampang votes from Dharan-18". The Annapurna Express (in Nepali). Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ "Harka Sampang elected from Sunsari-1". Setopati. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ "पानी अभियन्ता हर्कराज साम्पाङ राई बने धरानको मेयर, पाए २०८२१ मत". ekagaj. Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
- ↑ "Harka Sampang files for party registration". Setopati. Retrieved 2025-09-28.