Who Is KP Sharma Oli? All 4 Stints Of Nepal PM Who Resigned After Gen Z Protests Ended Amid Rows

Last Updated:September 09, 2025, 17:22 IST

Who is Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli? How were his four stints as PM? Why was he forced to step down on Tuesday? Explained

KP Sharma Oli has served four terms as the PM. (PTI File)

Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday in the face of massive anti-government protests rocking the country, officials said. Oli stepped down shortly after hundreds of demonstrators entered his office shouting anti-government slogans.

Hours before his resignation, the demonstrators set on fire the Nepalese leader’s private residence in Balkot demanding accountability for Monday’s fatalities.

At least 19 people were killed during the violent protests on Monday against the government’s ban on social media sites, PTI reported. Following the protests, the government revoked the ban last night.

The 73-year-old leader’s ouster has once again pushed Nepal, which has had 14 governments in the last 17 years, into political instability.

Who is KP Sharma Oli?

Born on February 22, 1952, in Terhathum of the eastern Nepal district, Oli is the eldest child of Mohan Prasad and Madhumaya Oli. His grandmother raised him after his mother died of smallpox.

He left his school in Class 9th and joined politics. He, however, did an Intermediate level in Arts from jail later. His wife, Rachana Shakya, is also a communist activist, and the two had met in the course of party activities.

Oli started his political career as a student activist in 1966 by joining the fight against the autocratic Panchayat System under the direct rule of the King.

He joined the Communist Party of Nepal in February 1970. He went underground soon after taking the party’s membership. The same year, he was arrested for the first time by the Panchayat government.

In 1971, he took leadership of the Jhapa Rebellion, which was initiated by beheading landlords in the district.

Oli is one of the few political leaders of Nepal who spent several years in jail. He was imprisoned for 14 consecutive years from 1973 to 1987.

He belongs to the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML). After his release from prison, he became a central committee member of UML in charge of the Lumbini Zone until 1990.

Oli’s rise

Following the 1990 democratic movement that brought down the Panchayat regime, Oli became a popular name in the country. In 1991, he became the founding chairman of Prajatantrik Rastriya Yuwa Sangh. A year later, he became the party’s publicity department chief and established himself as a key figure in Nepali politics.

He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives for the first time from Jhapa district in 1991. Oli had also served as the minister of home affairs in 1994– 1995. He was re-elected to the House of Representatives from Jhapa electorate no 2 in 1999.

He had served as deputy prime minister during the interim government led by Girija Prasad Koirala in 2006 after the successful conclusion of the second People’s Movement.

Oli was elected as leader of the CPN-UML Parliamentary Party in the Second Constituent Assembly on February 4, 2014

How many times has Oli served as PM?

2015-2016: Oli’s first term as the PM came in 2015, however the coalition fell apart in 2016. He resigned ahead of a no-confidence motion.

2018: Oli’s UML formed a left alliance with Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s Maoist Centre. This Left Alliance won a near two-thirds majority in the 2017 general elections. In February 2018, Oli became PM with Prachanda’s support. In May 2018, the CPN-UML and Maoist Centre formally merged into the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) — creating the largest party in Nepal’s history. The power-sharing deal between Oli and Prachanda, to alternate as the PM, broke down as Oli refused to step down. Oli then dissolved Parliament in December 2020. The Nepal Supreme Court ruled the dissolution unconstitutional in February 2021. Later, the SC invalidated the NCP merger in March 2021, effectively splitting UML and Maoist Centre. Oli lost his majority and failed a confidence vote in May 2021, ending his second term.

2021: Oli was reappointed PM by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari as leader of a minority caretaker government allowed by Article 76(3) of the Constitution. Oli again attempted to dissolve Parliament in May 2021 to call snap elections. The SC called the move unconstitutional. The Court ordered Parliament to appoint Sher Bahadur Deuba (Nepali Congress) as PM under Article 76(5). Oli was forced to resign in July 2021, ending his short third term.

How Oli came to power for the fourth time in 2024?

In the 2022 general election, Oli’s party became the second-largest party in the House of Representatives. Oli and Dahal brokered a deal, backing Dahal’s bid as prime minister. The UML withdrew from the coalition government ahead of the presidential election in March 2023, but joined hands with Dahal again in March 2024. Oli and Nepali Congress’s Deuba agreed on July 1, 2024 to form a rotational government with the two party chairs serving equal time as prime minister. UML withdrew its support from the Dahal government, and following a failed a motion of confidence for Dahal in the House on July 12, Oli was appointed prime minister for a fourth stint on July 14 as part of a coalition with the Nepali Congress. He was appointed as the Prime Minister again on July 15, 2024.

Why did Oli resign now?

Nationwide protests, spearheaded by youth, erupted over rampant corruption, nepotism, and a controversial government social media ban. These demonstrations quickly turned violent, with at least 19 fatalities and hundreds injured in clashes with security forces.

Protesters attacked and set fire to the private residences of PM Oli and other officials.The unrest showed no signs of abating despite restrictions, including lifted social media bans and curfews.

Amid growing instability and personal safety fears, reports surfaced about Oli preparing to flee the country, possibly to Dubai.

With Reuters, PTI, Agency Inputs

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