The rise and ruin of KP Sharma Oli: Nepal's master survivor dethroned by Gen Z
Oli's fall has again plunged Nepal into chaos. Since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008, the Himalayan nation has churned through 14 governments in just 17 years.
- Sep 9, 2025,
- Updated Sep 9, 2025 6:35 PM IST
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli's career has been defined by dramatic turns, ruthless tactics, and political brinkmanship. The 73-year-old communist leader, who once promised stability, was forced out of office this week after violent youth-led protests over corruption and a controversial social media ban left at least 19 dead and hundreds injured.
It was supposed to be his redemption. Oli took power for the third time in July 2024 after breaking ranks with Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and striking an uneasy alliance with Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress. He framed the move as a sacrifice for stability, but within months his own actions set the stage for a revolt that toppled him.
A Legacy of Political Instability
Oli's fall has again plunged Nepal into chaos. Since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008, the Himalayan nation has churned through 14 governments in just 17 years. Oli himself has been both an architect and a casualty of this instability.
His rise began as a teenage rebel in the 1960s. He spent 14 years in prison after the Jhapa Rebellion of 1971, a radical communist-led uprising in which landlords were beheaded. Upon release in 1987, he emerged as one of UML’s most hardline leaders, shaping the communist movement during Nepal’s democratic transition.
In the years that followed, Oli went from underground fighter to minister of home affairs in 1994, deputy prime minister in 2006, and eventually party leader in 2014. He became prime minister for the first time in October 2015, a post he would claim three more times—sometimes through elections, sometimes through maneuvers described as "Machiavellian tricks."
A Bitter Relationship With India
Oli's first premiership saw ties with New Delhi nosedive. He accused India of interfering in Nepal’s internal affairs and claimed it had toppled his government. His nationalist posture included redrawing Nepal’s map in 2020 to include the disputed territories of Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura—moves India rejected as "untenable."
Despite periodic reconciliations, his politics remained marked by a pro-China tilt and fiery rhetoric against India.
Oli the Survivor
Oli's second term began in 2018, powered by the merger of UML and Prachanda's Maoist Centre after their joint election victory. That alliance quickly soured. By 2021, Oli's maneuvers to cling to power were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Still, he staged a comeback in 2024, uniting with Deuba to oust Prachanda.
This time too, Oli promised stability. Instead, his attempt to ban 26 social media platforms in the name of regulation sparked the fury of a generation already disillusioned by unemployment, corruption, and nepotism. The result was the "Gen Z Revolution."
Exit Under Fire
The protests that forced his resignation were unlike anything Nepal had seen in years. Demonstrators torched party offices, stormed Parliament, and vandalized the residences of Oli, the president, and other top leaders. The Army Chief reportedly told Oli bluntly that the military could only restore order if he stepped down.
His resignation letter framed the exit as an attempt "to facilitate a solution to the problem," but for many, it was the final chapter of a leader who mistook defiance for strategy and authoritarianism for control.
From Jail to History Books
Born in 1952 in Terhathum, Oli's mother died of smallpox when he was young, and he was raised by his grandmother. He left school after ninth grade but later completed an intermediate degree in arts while in jail. His wife, Rachana Shakya, is also a communist activist.
From a teenage rebel to a four-time prime minister, Oli embodied both Nepal's turbulence and its yearning for stability. His downfall was as fiery as his rise, marking the end of one of the most controversial chapters in the country’s democratic experiment.
(With inputs from PTI)
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli's career has been defined by dramatic turns, ruthless tactics, and political brinkmanship. The 73-year-old communist leader, who once promised stability, was forced out of office this week after violent youth-led protests over corruption and a controversial social media ban left at least 19 dead and hundreds injured.
It was supposed to be his redemption. Oli took power for the third time in July 2024 after breaking ranks with Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' and striking an uneasy alliance with Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress. He framed the move as a sacrifice for stability, but within months his own actions set the stage for a revolt that toppled him.
A Legacy of Political Instability
Oli's fall has again plunged Nepal into chaos. Since the abolition of its monarchy in 2008, the Himalayan nation has churned through 14 governments in just 17 years. Oli himself has been both an architect and a casualty of this instability.
His rise began as a teenage rebel in the 1960s. He spent 14 years in prison after the Jhapa Rebellion of 1971, a radical communist-led uprising in which landlords were beheaded. Upon release in 1987, he emerged as one of UML’s most hardline leaders, shaping the communist movement during Nepal’s democratic transition.
In the years that followed, Oli went from underground fighter to minister of home affairs in 1994, deputy prime minister in 2006, and eventually party leader in 2014. He became prime minister for the first time in October 2015, a post he would claim three more times—sometimes through elections, sometimes through maneuvers described as "Machiavellian tricks."
A Bitter Relationship With India
Oli's first premiership saw ties with New Delhi nosedive. He accused India of interfering in Nepal’s internal affairs and claimed it had toppled his government. His nationalist posture included redrawing Nepal’s map in 2020 to include the disputed territories of Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura—moves India rejected as "untenable."
Despite periodic reconciliations, his politics remained marked by a pro-China tilt and fiery rhetoric against India.
Oli the Survivor
Oli's second term began in 2018, powered by the merger of UML and Prachanda's Maoist Centre after their joint election victory. That alliance quickly soured. By 2021, Oli's maneuvers to cling to power were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Still, he staged a comeback in 2024, uniting with Deuba to oust Prachanda.
This time too, Oli promised stability. Instead, his attempt to ban 26 social media platforms in the name of regulation sparked the fury of a generation already disillusioned by unemployment, corruption, and nepotism. The result was the "Gen Z Revolution."
Exit Under Fire
The protests that forced his resignation were unlike anything Nepal had seen in years. Demonstrators torched party offices, stormed Parliament, and vandalized the residences of Oli, the president, and other top leaders. The Army Chief reportedly told Oli bluntly that the military could only restore order if he stepped down.
His resignation letter framed the exit as an attempt "to facilitate a solution to the problem," but for many, it was the final chapter of a leader who mistook defiance for strategy and authoritarianism for control.
From Jail to History Books
Born in 1952 in Terhathum, Oli's mother died of smallpox when he was young, and he was raised by his grandmother. He left school after ninth grade but later completed an intermediate degree in arts while in jail. His wife, Rachana Shakya, is also a communist activist.
From a teenage rebel to a four-time prime minister, Oli embodied both Nepal's turbulence and its yearning for stability. His downfall was as fiery as his rise, marking the end of one of the most controversial chapters in the country’s democratic experiment.
(With inputs from PTI)