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Harka Raj Sampang Rai (or Harka Sampang; ) is a Nepalese politician and the current mayor of
Dharan Dharan () is a sub-metropolitan city in Sunsari District of Koshi Province, in eastern Nepal, which was established as a fourth municipality in the Kingdom in 1958. It is the third most populous city in eastern Nepal after Biratnagar and I ...
. Rai is also a social
activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
. He has been elected as an
independent candidate An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have polit ...
for the post Mayor, having 'Walking stick/Lauro' as the electoral symbol via the 2022 local election. He defeated
Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress ( ; Abbreviation, abbr. NC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a Social democracy, social democratic List of political parties in Nepal, political party in Nepal and the largest party in the country ...
candidate Kishore Rai by receiving 20,821 votes.


Early life and education

Rai was born in Khartamchha, Khotang which is in present-day Kepilasgadhi rural municipality. His father was a former British Gurkha soldier. He moved to Dharan in 1998 after completing his SLC examinations to pursue higher education. He graduated in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and Political Science from. Mahendra Multiple Campus in Dharan and started work as a
tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...
. After completing his higher education he had gone to Iraq and Afghanistan for employment.


Political career

Rai contested the 2019 by-elections for the mayor of Dharan as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
but only managed to get 422 votes. He again contested for the post of mayor at the 2022 elections still as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
and was elected after getting a vote share of 39.8%.


Activism

After six years working abroad he returned to Dharan and opened the National Unity Network to protest against corruption. He was also involved in protests against tax raises, illegal sand extraction from rivers and the
water scarcity Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity. One is ''physical.'' The other is ''economic water scarcity''. Physic ...
in Dharan. In 2016, Rai became the coordinator of people displaced by the expansion of the Madan Bhandari Inner Terai Highway. He built Shram Sanskriti Park to showcase the history of Dharan.


Electoral history


2022 Dharan municipal election


Controversies

In 2023–2025, Mayor Harka Sampang was involved in several controversies: * He was accused of inciting an assault on a community representative during a dispute in Dharan. * He filed defamation complaints against two journalists for allegedly portraying him as an extortionist. * He was investigated for allegedly ordering unauthorized tree cutting in Dharan-20. * He bypassed the Deputy Mayor while appointing an acting mayor, contrary to legal protocol. * His confrontational behavior toward journalists was highlighted in an investigative report. * He later issued a public apology following criticism.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Harka Raj Living people People from Sunsari District Mayors of places in Nepal Nepalese activists 21st-century Nepalese politicians 1983 births People from Dharan