Harka Raj Rai

Harka Raj Sampang Rai (born 27 February 1983) is a Nepali politician, social activist and businessman who is the founder and leader of the Shram Sanskriti Party (SSP). He has served as Member of Parliament (MP) from Sunsari 1 since 2026.

Born in Khartamchha, Sampang studied from Mahendra Multiple Campus and worked as a tutor before going to Iraq and Afghanistan for employment. After returning to Nepal, he started social activism and promoted the Shramdaan movement in the country. After winning the 2022 Dharan municipal election, Sampang served as the 6th mayor of Dharan, being the first independent candidate to have been elected as mayor of Dharan. He is also famous for make in Nepal enisetives.

After the 2025 Gen Z protests in Nepal, he founded the Shram Sanskriti Party and won his seat from Sunsari 1 in the 2026 general election. The SSP became the fifth-largest party in the Nepali parliament, becoming one of the fastest-growing Nepali parties.

Early life and education He was born in Khartamchha, Khotang which is in present-day Kepilasgadhi rural municipality. His father was a former British Gorkha 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 working as a tutor. After completing his higher education he had gone to Iraq and Afghanistan for employment.

Political career Rai contested the 2017 by-elections for the mayor of Dharan as an independent but only managed to get 422 votes. He was the first independent candidate elected as mayor of Dharan.

In the 2026 general elections, he ran under the new Shram Sanskriti Party which he founded, from the Sunsari-1 constituency, defeating major party candidates and winning a seat in the House of Representatives with 35,741 votes.

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 in Dharan. He is part of the opposition to the government of Prime Minister Balen Shah.

Electoral history 2022 Dharan municipal election