Biratnagar, December 14
Senior Nepali Congress leader and former minister Amod Prasad Upadhyay has passed away. He died while undergoing treatment for oral cancer at HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu.
According to Nepali Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Koshi Province Kedar Karki, Upadhyay died on Saturday evening during treatment. A resident of Morang, he had been staying in Kathmandu in recent months for medical care.
Upadhyay was elected twice to the House of Representatives from the then Morang Constituency No. 1 (now No. 2). He also served as Minister for Education after winning the 2056 BS by-election.
In 2056 BS, Girija Prasad Koirala won elections from both Morang and Sunsari constituencies. After Koirala vacated Morang Constituency No. 1, a by-election was held in which Upadhyay emerged victorious. He also won the election to the first Constituent Assembly.
According to Congress leader Yadu Bista, Upadhyay was the only Nepali Congress candidate to win from Morang in the 2064 BS first Constituent Assembly election. “After winning the 2056 BS by-election, he went on to win the first Constituent Assembly election, but was defeated in the second Constituent Assembly election,” Bista said. “After the second Constituent Assembly election, his wife passed away, following which he gradually withdrew from active politics.”
Bista described Upadhyay as a modest and intellectual leader. “He believed that democracy can only be strengthened through direct dialogue with the people,” Bista said, adding that Upadhyay was imprisoned several times during political movements.
Known for his simple lifestyle, Upadhyay was popular among party cadres during his active political career. Journalist Kumod Adhikari, who was close to him, said Upadhyay never forgot people he had met and always addressed them by name. “His lifestyle was very simple,” Adhikari said.
A resident of Aamgachhi in Morang, Upadhyay was also a trusted confidant of Girija Prasad Koirala. He held a bachelor’s degree in political science from India and is survived by two sons and a daughter.
