KATHMANDU: Hari Narayan Rauniyar, a contentious contractor heading Pappu Construction Nepal, has recently joined CPN-UML.

UML Chairman KP Oli officially welcomed Rauniyar into the party during a program held in Pokhariya, Parsa on Tuesday.

Rauniyar, also a central member of the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), holds ownership of Pappu Construction. His involvement in certain development contracts that remained incomplete led to controversy.

In the 2017 elections, Rauniyar secured the Federal Member of Parliament position from Parsa-3 under the then Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum (now JSP). However, his membership was soon suspended following the Pappu Construction case.