Nepal elects 26-year-old Rubi Kumari Thakur as Deputy Speaker of House

Thakur was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Shram Sanskriti Party in the March 5 election.

During the voting held in Parliament on Friday, Thakur secured 229 votes, while her rival candidate, Saraswoti Lama of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, received five votes.

A total of 22 votes were cast as "none of the above." Out of the 275-member House, 256 lawmakers participated in the voting.

Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal formally announced Thakur's election and extended congratulations.

The 26-year-old was backed by the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party as well as major opposition parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and the Communist Party of Nepal.

Thakur comes from a modest background and entered politics at a young age after growing up amid social challenges and family responsibilities. She was nominated as a proportional representation lawmaker under the Madhesi Janajati cluster.

Her father works in Saudi Arabia, while her mother is a homemaker. Growing up in the Madhesh region amid social discrimination and family responsibilities, Thakur developed self-reliance early in life.

After passing the Secondary Education Examination (SEE), she completed a three-year diploma in civil engineering-related studies at Balara Polytechnic in Dhanusha. She later worked for seven months at an architecture consultancy firm, earning NPR 20,000 per month and sending part of her salary home to support her family.

Her entry into politics was unexpected. Inspired by Harka Sampang's social media activities, she became actively involved in public life. During the March 2026 general election campaign, she canvassed in Dhanusha-4 for the Shram Sanskriti Party.

Sampang nominated her as a proportional representation candidate from the Madhesi cluster, making her one of the party's youngest lawmakers. She secured her seat in the House of Representatives on March 26, 2026, through the proportional representation (PR) list.

At just 26, Thakur now balances her parliamentary duties with her studies. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering.

As the youngest lawmaker in the current House and now the youngest Deputy Speaker in Nepal's history, she has pledged to champion social justice, women's empowerment, and the eradication of harmful practices such as the dowry system and child marriage, which persist in parts of Madhesh despite existing laws.

Her election fulfils the constitutional provision that the Speaker and Deputy Speaker must come from different parties and that one of them must be a woman.

With strong support from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, her party's seven MPs, and other parties, Rubi Kumari Thakur's election to the Deputy Speaker's post marks a historic moment for youth representation and Madhesi inclusion in Nepal's federal parliament.

She has committed to strengthening parliamentary effectiveness, promoting inclusive representation, and advocating for transparent governance while addressing long-standing social issues. (ANI)