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Sampang 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.[4] 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.[5] After completing his higher education he had gone to Iraq and Afghanistan for employment.[6][7]
Political career
Rai contested the 2017 by-elections for the mayor of Dharan as an independent but only managed to get 422 votes.[6] He again contested for the post of mayor at the 2022 elections still as an independent and was elected after getting a vote share of 39.8%.[8] He was the first independent candidate elected as mayor of Dharan.[8][9][10]
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.[7] In 2016, Rai became the coordinator of people displaced by the expansion of the Madan Bhandari Inner Terai Highway.[6][5] He built Shram Sanskriti Park to showcase the history of Dharan.
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