Gangster-turned-politician Rajeev Gurung, also known as Deepak Manange, took the oath of office and secrecy as a provincial assembly member of Gandaki on Monday, thirteen months after his election from Manang (B).

Speaker of the provincial assembly Netranath Adhikari administered the oath to Gurung. Adhikari invited Gurung for the swearing-in after the Business Advisory Committee of the assembly decided to allow him to take the oath. 

In December last year, Gurung filed an application at Gandaki Province, demanding his recognition as a provincial assembly member. Talking to reporters after his oath of office and secrecy, Gurung said he was happy to be sworn in as an independent lawmaker though it was late. “I don’t think of joining any political party anytime soon,” said Gurung, adding that he would support the Nepal Communist Party (NCP)-led provincial government as long as it carried out good works. He said he would work in hydropower, road and education sectors in his election constituency.

Deputy Speaker Srijana Sharma, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Hari Bahadur Chuman, Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development Ram Sharan Basnet, NCP Chief Whip Mayanath Adhikari, and lawmaker Krishna Bahadur Thapa, among others, were present in the Provincial Assembly secretariat as Gurung took his oath. Lawmakers of the opposition parties did not attend the ceremony.

Gurung was elected to the state legislature of Gandaki as an independent candidate from Manang (B) in the 2017 provincial election. Police had issued an arrest warrant against him in an attempted murder case.

Police arrested him from the Capital in April last year and detained him at Dillibazaar Prison. On December 20, the Supreme Court released him on bail.

On January 3, lawmaker-elect from Kailali constituency-1 Resham Chaudhary, the main accused in the 2015 Tikapur killings, took the oath of office while serving in Dillibazaar Prison.