DP Aryal Appointed as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Backed by Ravi Lamichhane’s Rastriya Swatantra Party
Dolprasad Aryal once ran a money transfer business in Japan, during which he appointed the popular TV presenter Ravi Lamichhane as the brand ambassador for his venture. Currently, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswapa), led by Lamichhane, is proposing Aryal to lead one of the country’s three legislative bodies, specifically the House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House is also an ex officio member of the Constitutional Council. Born in September 1974 (B.S. 2031), the 51-year-old Aryal has been elected unopposed as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, although the official announcement of his selection is yet to be made.
On Aryal’s birthday in September 2022 (B.S. 2079), Lamichhane commented on a Facebook post by colleague Deepak Bohara, wishing him well: “Few people find an extremely simple, hardworking, honest, friendly, and warm companion; the one who finds such a friend is fortunate, and I consider myself that fortunate person. May you keep daring and may God be your guide.” In the recent elections, Raswapa secured 182 seats in the House of Representatives, becoming the largest party.
Many had anticipated that Aryal would become a minister during the government formation led by Balendra Shah ‘Balen’. However, Raswapa has instead nominated him for the Speaker position. According to longtime associate and MP Deepak Bohara, Aryal operated the money transfer business in Nepal after returning from Japan. “He also made Ravi Dai the brand ambassador for ‘Ezilink Money Transfer’,” Bohara shared, highlighting their long-standing connection.
Following the local elections in 2022 (B.S. 2079), where independent candidates including Balendra Shah ‘Balen’, Hark Sampang, and Gopi Hamal won, Ravi Lamichhane left Galaxy Television to form a new political party. At the time of Raswapa’s establishment, Aryal stood alongside Lamichhane. According to Bohara, Ravi and Aryal have been together since the initial discussions to form Raswapa. Subsequently, Aryal became the party’s vice-chairman.
