Kul Man Ghising

Kulman Ghising
कुलमान घिसिङ
Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation of Nepal
In office
15 September 2025 – 7 January 2026
PresidentRam Chandra Poudel
Prime MinisterSushila Karki
Preceded byDeepak Khadka
Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport of Nepal
In office
15 September 2025 – 7 January 2026
PresidentRam Chandra Poudel
Prime MinisterSushila Karki
Preceded byDevendra Dahal
Minister of Urban Development of Nepal
In office
15 September 2025 – 7 January 2026
PresidentRam Chandra Poudel
Prime MinisterSushila Karki
Preceded byPrakash Man Singh
Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority
In office
11 August 2021 – 25 March 2025
PresidentBidya Devi Bhandari
Ram Chandra Poudel
Prime MinisterSher Bahadur Deuba
Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Preceded byHitendra Dev Shakya
Succeeded byHitendra Dev Shakya
In office
14 September 2016 – 16 September 2020
PresidentBidhya Devi Bhandari
Prime MinisterKP Sharma Oli
Preceded byMukesh Raj Kafle
Succeeded byLekhnath Koirala (acting)
Personal details
BornKulman Ghising
(1970-11-25) November 25, 1970
Bethan, Ramechhap, Nepal
PartyUjyaalo Nepal Party
SpouseDeepa Tamang
Parent
  • Kripa Singh Ghising (father)
Alma materNational Institute of Technology (BE)
Tribhuvan University (ME)
Pokhara University (MBA)
Profession
Known forEnding load-shedding in Nepal

Kulman Ghising (Nepali: कुलमान घिसिङ, pronounced [ˈkulman ˈɡʱisiŋ]) is a Nepalese engineer, technocrat, politician, and chairman of Ujyaalo Nepal Party. [1] Ghising served as minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation along with Urban Development and Physical Infrastructure and Transport in interim cabinet formed after 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests.[2] He is a candidate running for Prime Minister of Nepal.

He has served as managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority for a decade, during his tenure the country's long-standing load-shedding (power outage) crisis ended.

Kulman Ghising, also served as the Nepal's Energy Minister and Chairperson of MCA-Nepal, the body implementing the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact. The MCC provides a U.S. grant for power and road projects. Ghising oversees project execution and board decisions. While the compact is promoted as supporting infrastructure growth, it has also faced debate in Nepal regarding sovereignty and foreign influence. He has served as managing director of Nepah Electricity Authority. He was MD of Nepal Electricity Authority during the tenure of Janardan Sharma when the country's long-standing load-shedding (power outage) ended.



[3][4][5][6] [7]

Early life and education

Ghising was born to a Tamang family in Bethan village of Ramechhap District in eastern Nepal,[8] and went to Dahoo Secondary School as a child.[4] He moved to Kathmandu and went to Balsewa Secondary School in Jhochhe, starting in the seventh grade.[8] He graduated high school from Amar Adarsh Secondary School and went to Amrit Science College for the Intermediate degree.[8] He received free scholarship from Regional Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur, India, to become an electrical engineer.[8] He completed his post-graduate studies from Pulchowk Campus.[4] Ghising then completed MBA from Pokhara University.

Nepal Electricity Authority

Ghising started his job in NEA in 1994. He was appointed the managing director of NEA on 14 September 2016 by a cabinet decision having been recommended by Ram Sharan Mahat of Nepali Congress. He had been associated with NEA for over two decades prior to the appointment. At the time of the appointment, he was serving as the project chief of Rahughat Hydroelectricity Project, having been managing director of the Chilime Hydropower Company before that. Experienced in power trade and distribution, he said eliminating load shedding would be one of his main focus, in an interview following his appointment.[9]

Scheduled daily power-cuts called load-shedding, extending up to 18 hours in the dry winter months,[8] had been a persistent problem in Nepal for decades. When Ghising was appointed to lead the NEA, he emphasized better management and more equitable power distribution.[6] By ending the policy of providing 24 hours uninterrupted power supply to a few large industries at the expense of the general public, he immediately eliminated power cuts in the major cities, and reduced power cuts to other parts of the country to around two hours every other day.[10] He overhauled the hydropower generation system storing water during low demand hours, and bringing online power plants that had been inoperative due to poor maintenance. He launched a public awareness campaign to discourage the use of high-power domestic equipment during peak hours.[5] Load-shedding was eliminated across the country, for both residential and industrial sectors by May 2018.[11][8]

On August 11, 2021, Kulman Ghising was reappointed for his second term.[12][13] However, he was removed from his position on March 24, 2025, despite his tenure being scheduled to end on August 9, 2025.[14] The government decision to remove him caused widespread criticism and protests.[15][16]

Kul Man Ghising's dismissal as managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority on March 24, 2025, sparked protests across Nepal. Supporters criticized the government's decision, viewing it as unjust given his success in eliminating load-shedding. The protests revealed divisions within the ruling coalition, with even Nepali Congress leaders opposing the move, raising concerns about potential unrest.[17][18]

Early political career

Although Ghising was long considered a career technocrat, his entry into politics was preceded by years of immense public popularity stemming from his leadership at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). Speculation regarding his formal entry into politics began as early as the 2022 general elections, where he was heavily courted by the CPN (Maoist Centre), though he initially maintained his neutral status as a public official.[19]

Following the 2025 youth-led "Gen Z protests" that led to the resignation of the K. P. Sharma Oli administration, Ghising was inducted into the interim cabinet of Nepal's first female Prime Minister, Sushila Karki.[20] Sworn in on September 15, 2025, Ghising was appointed Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. Due to his reputation for administrative efficiency, he was also given the portfolios for the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Urban Development.[21]

On January 7, 2026, Ghising resigned from his ministerial posts to transition into full-time party leadership ahead of the March 2026 general elections.[22] Shortly after his resignation, he assumed the chairmanship of the "Ujyaalo Nepal Party" (Light of Nepal Party). Following a brief, 12-day unification attempt with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) that collapsed in January 2026 over ideological differences, Ghising announced he would contest the election independently for the seat of Kathmandu Constituency No. 3.[23][24]

See also

References

  1. ^ मनोज सत्याल. "राजनीतिमा होमिएका कुलमान कहाँबाट उठ्लान् चुनाव– रामेछाप कि काठमाडौं?". Setopati. Retrieved 2025-11-15.
  2. ^ "Kulman Ghising–Nepal's light man–takes helm of Energy and Infrastructure min". myRepublica. 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2026-01-11.
  3. ^ Olsen, William C.; Csordas, Thomas J. (2019-05-03). Engaging Evil: A Moral Anthropology. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-78920-214-4.
  4. ^ a b c "Duhu welcomes its proud son, Kulman ghising". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  5. ^ a b "The Man Who Turned The Lights On In Energy-Starved Nepal". ndtv.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-16. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  6. ^ a b ""Power to the people" - Interview". Nepali Times. Archived from the original on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  7. ^ Roushan, Anurag (2025-09-15). "Nepal interim cabinet expands with three new ministers: Check who gets what". India TV News. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Kulman Ghising: The man who gave us light". kathmandupost.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  9. ^ "Kulman Ghising appointed NEA managing director". thehimalayantimes.com. 15 September 2016. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  10. ^ Acharya, Chet Narayan (2019-02-18). "Clean Energy Policy, Planning and Management: Gearing up the Rapid Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Nepal". Journal of Economic Info. 6 (1): 19–25. doi:10.31580/jei.v6i1.483. ISSN 2313-335X.
  11. ^ "'Entire country is now free of loadshedding'". kathmandupost.com. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  12. ^ "Kulman Ghising reappointed as Managing Director of NEA". The Himalayan Times. 2021-08-11. Archived from the original on 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  13. ^ "Kul Man Ghising appointed managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority". The Kathmandu Post. Archived from the original on 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  14. ^ "After long standoff, government sacks Kulman Ghising". kathmandupost.com. 2025-03-28. Archived from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  15. ^ "Ghising's dismissal as power utility chief sparks political outcry, street protests". kathmandupost.com. 2025-03-27. Archived from the original on 27 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  16. ^ "Ghising's grit, Khadka's fall". kathmandupost.com. 2025-03-28. Archived from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  17. ^ "Ghising's dismissal as power utility chief sparks political outcry, street protests". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  18. ^ "Kamala Bridge's painful saga: Ministers come, inspect, leave — but the bridge never gets built". myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
  19. ^ Khatri, Prithvi (April 19, 2022). "Is Kulman Ghising joining politics?". Khabarhub. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  20. ^ "Nepal's interim Cabinet expanded with inclusion of Rameshore Khanal, Kulman Ghising and Om Prakash Aryal". The Hindu. September 15, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  21. ^ Prasain, Sangam (September 15, 2025). "Three newly appointed ministers sworn in". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  22. ^ "Energy Minister Kulman Ghising resigns from his post". Nepal News. January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  23. ^ Poudel, Purushottam (January 11, 2026). "Kulman Ghising splits from Rastriya Swatantra Party just 12 days after unity". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  24. ^ "Four Ministers in Karki govt resign to contest upcoming election in Nepal". The Hindu. January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
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