Born on 13 June 1946, Sher Bahadur Deuba is a Nepali politician and also one of the former Prime Ministers of Nepal. The second senior most leader of the Nepali Congress, one of the leading political parties in Nepal, Deuba has been elected as the leader of parliamentary party of Nepali Congress enabling him to be elected as the Prime Minister of Nepal, twice.

Deuba served as the Prime Minister of Nepal, three times from 1995 to 1997, 2001 to 2002 and June 2, 2004 to February 1, 2005. Although he was elected as Prime Minister for the second time when he succeeded Girija Prasad Koirala, a coup d’état by former King Gyanendra removed him in October 2002. However, after two other governments and much political protest for his restoration led Gyanendra restore Deuba to the position of Prime Minister (in 2004). He was again removed in 2005 by the former king who dissolved the government and seized direct power for three years.

Deuba was sent to two years prison in July 2005 under the charges of corruption, however, he was released on 13 February, 2006 after the anti-corruption body that sentenced him was outlawed. His release was regarded as ‘a victory for democracy and a humiliating defeat for the royal regime’ by an official from Deuba’s Nepali Congress Democratic Party. He had also represented Dadeldhura district as a Member of Parliament three times and was declared the Parliamentary Leader of Nepali Congress in 1994 following the street protests against the UML government. He defeated Sushil Koirala (who was supported by Girija Prasad Koirala, the president of Nepali Congress) by a huge margin in the election held to select the Parliamentary Leader for Nepali Congress. This became a major victory for him establishing him as a leading political leader.

In 2009 election for the position of the Leader of the Parliamentary Party of the Nepali Congress, however, he lost because of his support to Party leader Girija Prasad Koirala who wanted his daughter, an unpopular leader Sujata Koirala, to lead the party.

Married to Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, a politician and a social worker, Sher Bahadur Deuba was also elected as the Vice President of Socialist International during its Congress held in Athens, Greece from 30 June 2008 to 2 July 2008. The couple has a son named Jaiveer Singh Deuba.

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