{{short description|Nepali politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = Honourable | name = Minendra Rijal | native_name = मिनेन्द्र रिजाल | image = | image_size = | office = Defence Minister of Nepal | term_start = 8 October 2021 | term_end = 16 December 2021<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.ratopati.com/story/22890|title = Defence Minister Rijal to resign amid apparent loss in NC's general secy}}</ref> | president = Bidhya Devi Bhandari | prime_minister = Sher Bahadur Deuba | predecessor = Ishwor Pokhrel | successor = Sher Bahadur Deuba | office1 = Member of the House of Representatives | term_start1 = 4 March 2018 | term_end1 = 18 September 2022 | constituency1 = Morang 2 | predecessor1 = Chandi Prasad Rai | successor1 = Rishikesh Pokharel | office2 = Member of the Legislature Parliament | term_start2 = 21 January 2014 | term_end2 = 14 October 2017 | constituency2 = Nepali Congress {{Abbr|PR|Proportional representation}} list | 1blankname2 = {{Abbr|PR|Proportional representation}} group | 1namedata2 = Khas Arya | office3 = Minister of Information and Communications | term_start3 = 25 February 2014 | term_end3 = 12 October 2015 | president3 = Ram Baran Yadav | prime_minister3 = Sushil Koirala | successor3 = Sher Dhan Rai | office4 = Minister for Constituent Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture | term_start4 = 25 May 2009 | term_end4 = 6 February 2011 | president4 = Ram Baran Yadav | prime_minister4 = Madhav Kumar Nepal
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|10|1|df=y}}<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://hr.parliament.gov.np/uploads/attachments/z3qljvte6vwen2cy.pdf |title=संघीय संसद सदस्य, २०७४ परिचयात्मक पुस्तिका |publisher=Federal Parliament Secretariat |year=2021 |location=Nepal |pages=270 |language=ne |trans-title=Federal Parliament Members 2017 Introduction Booklet}}</ref> | birth_place = Dharan, Sunsari | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} or {{Death-date and age|Month DD, YYYY|Month DD, YYYY}} (death date then birth date) --> | party = Nepali Congress | spouse = Durga Rijal | alma_mater = New York University | website = }}
'''Minendra Rijal''' ({{langx|ne|मिनेन्द्र रिजाल}}) is a Nepali politician and former Defence Minister of Nepal anf a former member of the House of Representatives.
== Political career == He is a former member of Nepali Congress party Central Working Committee.<ref name="Reconciliation">{{cite web |title=MINENDRA RIJAL |url=https://www.c-r.org/people-profiles/minendra-rijal |website=www.c-r.org |publisher=CONCILIATION RESOURCES |accessdate=30 May 2020}}</ref> He served as Minister of Information and Communications during the prime minister-ship of the Sushil Koirala.
Recently, Rijal resigned as Defence minister after he was unable to win internal election of party for general secretary.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ratopati|title=Defence Minister Rijal to resign amid apparent loss in NC's general secy|url=https://english.ratopati.com//story/22890|access-date=2021-12-16|website=Ratopati|language=en}}</ref>
He was elected to parliament from Morang-2 in the 2017 elections. Morang-2 is the constituency from where Late PM Girija Prasad Koirala used to contest the election.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=70127 |publisher=My Republica |title=18 Ministers sworn-in, Cabinet meeting held |date=25 February 2014 |accessdate=16 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720050012/http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=70127 |archivedate=20 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2014/02/25/meet-the-new-cabinet-of-ministers/|date=25 February 2014|publisher=Nepali Times|title= The Brief » Blog Archive » Meet the new cabinet of Ministers|accessdate=16 July 2014}}</ref>
He was also one of the architects of the mixed electoral system that ensured better social and gender diversity in the Constituent Assembly.<ref name= Reconciliation/>
== Electoral history ==
==== 2026 general election - Morang 2 ==== {{Election results|cand1=Krishna Kumar Karki|party1=RSP|votes1=40924|cand2=Dilip Kumar Bagediya|party2=CPN (UML)|votes2=15624|cand3=Minendra Rijal|party3=Congress|votes3=12764|cand4=Abuho Rairaha|party4=SSP|votes4=1822|cand5=Chandrabir Rai|party5=NCP|votes5=1366|cand6=Others|votes6=2286|invalid=|electorate=129,145|result=RSP gain|majority=25300|source=<ref name="2026el">{{Cite web |title=प्रतिनिधि सभा सदस्य निर्वाचनमा उम्मेदवारहरुको सुची|url=https://result.election.gov.np/MapElectionResult2082.aspx |website=Election Commission of Nepal}}</ref>}}
=== 2017 legislative elections === {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="4" |Morang 2 |- ! colspan="2" |Party !Candidate !Votes |- | style="background-color:{{party color|Nepali Congress}}" | |Nepali Congress |Minendra Prasad Rijal |35,819 |- | style="background-color:{{party color|Nepal Communist Party}}" | |CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) |Rishikesh Pokharel |34,014 |- | style="background-color:pink" | |Federal Socialist Forum, Nepal |Yuvraj Karki |2,595 |- | style="background-color:#ffb300" | |Rastriya Janata Party Nepal |Mahendra Lal Das Kevrat |2,082 |- | | colspan="2" |Others |1,279 |- | colspan="3" |Invalid votes |4,460 |- ! colspan="2" |Result ! colspan="2" |Congress gain |- | colspan="4" |Source: [https://result.election.gov.np/ElectionResultCentral.aspx Election Commission] |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rijal, Minendra}} Category:Nepali Congress politicians from Koshi Province Category:Government ministers of Nepal Category:Living people Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:1957 births Category:Nepali Congress (Democratic) politicians Category:Nepal MPs 2017–2022 Category:People from Dharan Category:Members of the 2nd Nepalese Constituent Assembly Category:Ministers of defence of Nepal