RAM BARAN YADAV - BIOGRAPHY

Ram Baran Yadav  was born on 4 February 1948.He is a Nepali politician who has been President of Nepal since 2008. Previously he served as Minister of Health from 1999 to 2001 and was General Secretary of the Nepali Congress party. He is Nepal's first President following the declaration of a republic in 2008.  

Yadav was the Minister of State for Health in the 1991-1994 Nepali Congress government.He was elected to the House of Representatives in the 1999 election as a candidate of the Nepali Congress.After that election, he became Minister of Health.

In May 2007, Yadav's residence in Janakpur was attacked by militants of the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha(JTMM). The JTMM put up a seizure notice at the house, hoisted their flags at it and detonated a bomb.

Yadav contested the Dhanusa-5 constituency in the April 2008 Constituent Assembly election. He won the seat, obtaining 10,392 votes.

Yadav was elected as the first President of Nepal in a second round of voting on 21 July 2008. He received 308 out of the 590 votes cast in the Constituent Assembly, defeating Ram Raja Prasad Singh, who had been nominated by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), in a second round of voting. Yadav was sworn in as President on 23 July 2008. Chief Justice Kedar Prasad Giri administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yadav at the presidential palace, Shital Niwas, Rastrapati Bhawan. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala among others were present. Yadav also administered oath to Vice-President Parmananda Jha

                                                   Personal life

Ram Baran Yadav was born to Thani Yadav and Ram Rati Yadav on 4 February 1948 at Sapahi Village Development Committee (VDC) Ward No. 9, Dhanusa district of Nepal. He qualified as a doctor and married the late Julekha Yadav. Yadav has two sons and a daughter.

Yadav currently resides at Sheetal Niwas in Kathmandu with his older son and daughter. His younger son lives in the United States with his family.

                                                  
                                                      Political life

President Ram Baran Yadav with Madhav Kumar Nepal

Yadav began his political career while studying medicine in Calcutta, India. He came in contact with severalNepali politicians who had self-exiled themselves in India, such as B. P. Koirala, Ganesh Man Singh, Subarna Shamsher Rana, Pushpa Lal Shrestha, and Saroj Koirala. Inspired by these leaders, Yadav started engaging himself in politics actively. He championed the cause for multi-party democracy during the referendum held in 1980. While practicing as a physician for several years, he engaged himself in politics as an active cadre of the Nepali CongressParty. He was a rural private practitioner for several years as well as a personal physician to Koirala, the first elected Prime Minister of Nepal, from 1980 to 1982.
Yadav participated in the struggle for democracy for several decades. He spent nine months altogether in prison during the course of the struggle. After the restoration of multiparty democratic dispensation in Nepal in 1990, he spearheaded his political career with increased vigor and vitality. Yadav was elected twice as a Member of the House of Representatives from the Constituency No. 5 of Dhanusa district of Nepal. He was the Minister of State for Health from 1991 to 1994. He again took charge of the Ministry of Health as the Cabinet Minister from 1999 to 2001. Yadav was elected as a Member of the Constituent Assembly from the same constituency of Dhanusa District during the elections held on 10 April 2008.

Yadav discharged various responsibilities in the Nepali Congress Party. He was a member of the Central Working Committee for 15 years, and also a member of Parliamentary Board, and member of the Discipline Committee of the Party. Before being elected as President, he was General Secretary of the Nepali Congress Party.