KATHMANDU: Nepal's first mountaineer-parliamentarian, Mingma David Sherpa, is pushing for the summit of Mount Everest, a climb that could make him the first elected lawmaker in history to stand atop the world's highest peak.

As of Thursday, Mingma David had reached Camp II, arriving there in just three days after departing Kathmandu. He plans to make his summit bid within the next couple of days, carrying Nepal's Parliament flag to the top.

The ascent adds yet another potential chapter to one of the most remarkable careers in Himalayan mountaineering. Mingma David holds two Guinness World Records, for the fastest combined ascent of Everest and K2 within 61 days, and for traversing Everest and Lhotse in under 20 hours. He is also recognised as the youngest person to complete all 14 eight-thousanders, finishing the feat at age 30, and has summited Everest seven times.

Elected to the House of Representatives under the Rastriya Swatantra Party through the proportional representation system earlier this year, Mingma David represents Nepal's mountaineering community in Parliament,a role he previously served in a different capacity as first vice president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

His journey to both Parliament and the peaks began as a high-altitude porter. Over the decades, he has accumulated 33 ascents of 8,000-metre peaks, conducted over 100 rescues including operations above 8,000 metres, and co-founded Elite Exped alongside Nims Purja. In 2016, his team carried out what is widely regarded as the highest human-powered rescue ever, retrieving a climber from 8,600 metres on Everest without helicopter support.

Beyond records, Mingma David has used his platform to advocate for safety standards, equipment regulations, and professional training for guides and porters across Nepal's climbing industry.

The successfull summit will mark a milestone not just for the climber, but for Nepal's Parliament, and for a man whose ascent, from porter in Taplejung to lawmaker in Kathmandu to the roof of the world, is unlike any other in the country's mountaineering history.