| Top Bahadur Rayamajhi | |
| Native Name: | टोपबहादुर रायमाझी |
| Office: | Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation |
| Term Start: | December 25, 2020 |
| Term End: | 20 May 2021 |
| President: | Bidhya Bhandari |
| Primeminister: | Khadga Prasad Oli |
| Office1: | Secretary of the CPN (UML) |
| Termstart1: | 30 November 2021 |
| Termend1: | 10 May 2023 |
| Office2: | Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha |
| Status2: | Suspect |
| Term Start2: | 4 March 2018 |
| Predecessor2: | himself |
| Constituency2: | Arghakhanchi 1 |
| Office4: | Member of 1st Nepalese Constituent Assembly |
| Term Start4: | 28 May 2008 |
| Term End4: | 28 May 2012 |
| Predecessor4: | Dilaram Acharya |
| Successor4: | himself |
| Constituency4: | Arghakhanchi 1 |
| Birth Date: | 10 November 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Arghakhanchi District, Nepal |
| Party: | CPN (UML) |
Top Bahadur Rayamajhi or (ne|टोपबहादुर रायमाझी) is a Nepalese politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal.[1] Rayamajhi was a member of the Constituent Assembly.[2] [3] [4] Rayamajhi is the secretary of CPN (UML).[5] Recently, an arrest warrant was issued against Rayamajhi over fake Bhutanese refugees scam case.[6] [7]
He was born in Argha VDC, ward number 2 of Arghakhanchi district in year 1961.
Rayamajhi assumed the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy in the First Oli cabinet.[8] He is a standing committee member of Communist Party of Nepal (UML). He started his political career back in 1974.[9]
He served as the minister for various ministries of Government of Nepal in the past years including Ministry of Physical Planning and Constructions, Ministry of Local Development, Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction.
See main article: article and Bhutanese refugees scam. An arrest warrant was issued against former minister Rayamajhi on 3 May 2023 for his alleged connection with the racket sending off Nepali nationals to the US under the guise of Bhutanese refugees.[10] After the arrest of former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, Rayamajhi was suspended from his post as Secretary of CPN(UML) on 10 May 2023.[11] Absconding law enforcement for 11 days, he was finally arrested in Budhanilakantha, Kathmandu on 14 May 2023 despite rumors that he had fled to India.[12] The Kathmandu District Court remanded him to three days in judicial custody for further investigation.[13]
| Arghakhanchi-1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||
| CPN (Maoist Centre) | Top Bahadur Rayamajhi | 50,837 | ||
| Nepali Congress | Dr. Ram Bahadur B.C. | 32,544 | ||
| Others | 1,511 | |||
| Result | Maoist Centre hold | |||
| Source: Election Commission | ||||
| Arghakhanchi-1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||
| UCPN (Maoist) | Top Bahadur Rayamajhi | 12,286 | ||
| Nepali Congress | Dr. Ram Bahadur B.C. | 11,234 | ||
| CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | Narendra Kumar Chhettri | 10,240 | ||
| Rastriya Janamorcha | Santa Bahadur Nepali | 3,295 | ||
| Others | 468 | |||
| Result | Maoist hold | |||
| Source: NepalNews[14] | ||||
| Arghakhanchi-1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | ||
| CPN (Maoist) | Top Bahadur Rayamajhi | 19,584 | ||
| Nepali Congress | Man Bahadur Bishwakarma | 10,591 | ||
| CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | Chet Narayan Acharya | 9,461 | ||
| Rastriya Janamorcha | Dila Ram Acharya | 7,575 | ||
| Others | 1,509 | |||
| Invalid votes | 1,879 | |||
| Result | Maoist gain | |||
| Source: Election Commission[15] | ||||