Purna Bahadur Khadka

• Prem Bahadur Khadka (father)

Honourable Purna Bahadur Khadka MP
पूर्ण बहादुर खड्का
Khadka in 2023
Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal
In office 31 March 2023 –4 March 2024 Servingwith Narayan Kaji Shrestha
Education	Tribhuvan University

Purna Bahadur Khadka is a Nepali politician, belonging to the Nepali Congress, who previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal and as Minister for Home and Defence at two different times. ^{[1] [2]} A six time parliamentarian Khadka has been working at strength of acting president of Nepali Congress party. ^{[3] [4]}

In the 2022 Nepalese general election, he won the election from Surkhet 1 (constituency). ^{[5] [6]} He was elected as Vice President of the Nepali Congress on 14th general convention of Nepali Congress held from December 13 to 15 in Kathmandu. ^{[7] [8]}

Political career

Khadka has long been active in national politics. He won the Surkhet-1 seat to the House of Representatives in the 2022 general election, defeating CPN-UML candidate Dhruba Kumar Shahi by 11,619 votes. ^[9]

During his tenure at Defence, Khadka publicly emphasised the strategic importance of the ministry within Nepal’s post-earthquake reconstruction and federal transition context, and pledged to strengthen institutional performance. ^[10] He left office in March 2024 after a subsequent reshuffle. ^[11]

Party leadership

At the 14th General Convention of the Nepali Congress, Khadka was elected Vice-President of the party, this was the first time the party elected two vice-presidents. ^{[7] [8]} He has since been a leading NC negotiator in coalition governments and internal party deliberations reported in national media. ^[12]

Electoral history

2022 general election

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Purna Bahadur Khadka	Nepali Congress	42,607	56.35
	Dhurba Kumar Shahi	CPN (UML)	30,988	40.98
	Others		2,020	2.67
Total			75,615	100.00
Majority			11,619
	Nepali Congress gain
Source: [13]

2017 general election

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Dhurba Kumar Shahi	CPN (UML)	36,759	51.66
	Purna Bahadur Khadka	Nepali Congress	33,377	46.91
	Others		1,017	1.43
Total			71,153	100.00
Valid votes			71,153	97.81
Invalid/blank votes			1,594	2.19
Total votes			72,747	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			101,637	71.58
Majority			3,382
	CPN (UML) gain
Source: Election Commission [14]

2013 Constituent Assembly election

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Purna Bahadur Khadka	Nepali Congress	17,301	45.60
	Kamala Sharma	CPN (UML)	15,398	40.58
	Thammar Bahadur Bista	UCPN (Maoist)	3,780	9.96
	Others		1,463	3.86
Total			37,942	100.00
Valid votes			37,942	97.74
Invalid/blank votes			878	2.26
Total votes			38,820	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			47,938	80.98
Majority			1,903
	Nepali Congress gain
Source: Election Commission [15] [16] [17]

1999 general election

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Purna Bahadur Khadka	Nepali Congress	16,980	47.16
	Rishi Prasad Sharma	CPN (UML)	16,594	46.09
	Man Bahadur Khatri	CPN (Marxist–Leninist)	1,523	4.23
	Others		909	2.52
Total			36,006	100.00
Valid votes			36,006	98.31
Invalid/blank votes			620	1.69
Total votes			36,626	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			49,879	73.43
Majority			386
	Nepali Congress hold
Source: Election Commission [18] [19]

1994 general election

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Purna Bahadur Khadka	Nepali Congress	13,771	45.25
	Rishi Prasad Sharma	CPN (UML)	12,654	41.58
	Chandra Bahadur Budha Magar	Rastriya Prajatantra Party	3,213	10.56
	Others		796	2.62
Total			30,434	100.00
Majority			1,117
	Nepali Congress hold
Source: Election Commission [18] [20]

1991 general election

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Purna Bahadur Khadka	Nepali Congress	21,637	51.95
	-	CPN (UML)	20,016	48.05
Total			41,653	100.00
Majority			1,621
	Nepali Congress gain
Source: [21]

References

1. Giri, Anil; Binod Ghimire (31 March 2023). "Prime Minister Dahal expands Cabinet". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
2. "Here are the portfolios of newly appointed ministers". MyRepublica. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
3. "Deuba assigns Khadka as acting Nepali Congress president". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2025-10-15.
4. "Deuba assigns Khadka as acting Nepali Congress president". The Annapurna Express (in Nepali). Retrieved 2025-10-15.
5. "Election Commission Nepal" . Retrieved 2022-12-20.
6. "Newly appointed ministers". People’s Review. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
7. "Khadka and Gurung elected Congress vice presidents". The Kathmandu Post. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
8. "Purna Bahadur Khadka and Dhan Raj Gurung elected vice presidents of Nepali Congress". MyRepublica. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
9. "Purna Bahadur Khadka emerges victorious in Surkhet-1". The Kathmandu Post. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
10. "Defence ministry bears significance: DPM Khadka". News Abhiyan. 1 April 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
11. "Here are the portfolios of newly appointed ministers". MyRepublica. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
12. "Deal close, coalition partners gear up for Cabinet expansion". The Kathmandu Post. 30 March 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
13. "प्रतिनिधि सभा सदस्य निर्वाचनमा उम्मेदवारहरुको सुची". Election Commission of Nepal.
14. "प्रतिनिधि सभा सदस्य निर्वाचन २०७४ को परिणाम पुस्तक" [Report of the 2017 House of Representatives member election](PDF). Election Commission of Nepal (in Nepali).
15. "Download FPTP Results(XML)". Election Commission of Nepal (in Nepali). Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
16. "पहिलो हुने निर्वाचित हुने निर्वाचनमा निर्वाचन क्षेत्र अनुसार सदर मत र बदर मत" [Valid and Invalid votes for First Past the Post voting by Constituency]. Election Commission of Nepal (in Nepali). Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
17. "निर्वाचन क्षेत्र अनुसार मतदाता संख्या" [Electorate by constituency](PDF). Election Commission of Nepal (in Nepali). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
18. "Finalised Constituencies With Top Two Candidates (Comparative)". Election Commission of Nepal. Archived from the original on 24 January 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
19. "Election Results' 99". Nepal Research. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
20. "Auswertung der Wahlergebnisse vom 15. November 1994" [Evaluation of the results of the 15 November 1994 election](PDF). Nepal Research (in German). Retrieved 18 December 2022.
21. "Election 1991 Constituency Results" (PDF). Nepal Research (in German). Retrieved 18 December 2022.