Shailaja Acharya (c. 1944–June 12, 2009) was a Nepalese politician. She was a senior member of the Nepali Congress party. She was the nation's first female Deputy Prime Minister for a brief period in 1998.[1][2]
Acharya was the niece of Nepal's first elected prime minister Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala and of Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala. She was also the aunt of bollywood actor Manisha Koirala.[3][4]
She died on June 12, 2009 at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease and pneumonia. She was 65.[3][4]