Madan Kumar Bhandari (27 June 1951 – 17 May 1993) was a Nepalese politician. He was elected as the Secretary General of the CPN (UML), which fought for multiparty democracy and basic human rights in Nepal. His popularity soared after he defeated the incumbent Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in the 1991 general election. Known for his oratory and ability to connect with the people, Bhandari's most fundamental contribution was his thought, known as "People's Multiparty Democracy" (). He is widely credited for advancing Nepal's communist movement to a much greater height together with playing a central role in the popular movement of 1990, which restored democracy and basic human rights in the Nepal after thirty years of the King's direct rule. He died in a car accident in Dasdhunga, Chitwan, in 1993.
1991 elections and aftermath
The CPN (UML) won all but one seat in the Himalayan capital in the 1991 elections, the country's first free election after more than three decades, ahead of which Bhandari emerged as a major leader of his party’s campaign. Bhandari proclaimed this "a vote for democracy," "a vote for independence" and "a vote for the alleviation of poverty." After the marriage, however, she preferred staying in the backgrounds since Madan Bhandari was in the top echelon of party leadership. Mrs. Bhandari reentered politics after her husband's death and was later elected for four terms as the Member of Parliament, oversaw major Cabinet portfolios and went on to become the first woman President of Nepal, remaining in the highest office for seven years and four months. The couple had two daughters, Usha Kiran Bhandari and Nisha Kusum Bhandari. Both daughters are married.
Death
On 16 May 1993 Bhandari died in a car accident in Dasdhunga, Chitwan. According to an investigation led by K.P. Oli, it was not an accident but an unsolved murder. Of the three people inside the car, only the driver Amar Lama survived who was later abducted and killed by a group of unidentified gunmen in Kirtipur, Kathmandu; the two leaders Madan Bhandari and Jibaraj Ashrit died.
His body was recovered three days later and kept in Dasharath Rangashala, where people visited throughout the day and into the night to pay their respects. A group of unidentified gunmen abducted Lama from the office of Tajakhabar Weekly tabloid around 13:45. He was taken to the hamlet of Kirtipur on the southwestern outskirts of the capital and shot. The assassins then fled towards Panga village. The government of Nepal proposed to build Madan Bhandari Highway from Shantinagar of Jhapa district to Rupal of Dadheldhura district. In March 2018, Madan Bhandari Museum was inaugurated in Urlabari, Morang. The damaged jeep of the 1993 accident has been kept on display at the Urlabari Museum.
Awards
- 57x57px Nepal Ratna Man Padavi (2016). Posthumously awarded to Madan Bhandari by the then President of Nepal, Bidya Devi Bhandari.
See also
- Dasdhunga
- List of unsolved murders (1980–1999)