Pokhara, 28 January | Damodar Paudel ‘Bairagi,’ a veteran leader of the CPN (UML) who rose to national prominence through the labor movement, has officially entered the electoral race for the House of Representatives from Kaski Constituency No. 3. At 59, Bairagi brings over four decades of experience advocating for the rights of workers, farmers, and the marginalized. His political journey was ignited by the student movement of 1979 (2036 BS), leading him to join the then CPN (ML) in 1982. Throughout the struggle against the autocratic Panchayat system, he operated as a semi-underground activist from 1983 to 1989, playing a crucial role in the restoration of democracy in Nepal.
Bairagi’s legacy is most significantly defined by his decade-long leadership within the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) from 1988 to 1998. This period established him as a militant and efficient organizer for the working class. Within the CPN (UML), he progressed from a district member of Kaski in 1996 to serving as the District Committee Secretary from 2013 to 2019. His commitment to his political ideals has been tested through severe physical and mental hardships; he was critically injured during clashes with monarchist supporters in 1985 and 1989. Furthermore, in 2004, he was detained by the then Royal Nepal Army and subjected to brutal torture inside a bunker for his pro-democracy stance.
Having been elected from Kaski-3 in the 2022 (2079 BS) general elections, Bairagi is now seeking re-election with a focus on modernizing agriculture and boosting regional tourism. His campaign emphasizes the promotion of iconic destinations such as Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, and Phewa Lake to extend tourist stays and benefit the local economy. His agenda also includes fostering entrepreneurship among youth and women, ensuring quality healthcare, and providing permanent solutions to landless squatters—a task he previously handled as the Chairperson of the Land Problem Resolution Commission in Kaski. Committed to the national aspiration of a “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali,” Bairagi remains a formidable force in Kaski’s political landscape.
