24 MAY, CHITWAN : Both mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates from the ruling alliance have been elected in Bharatpur Metropolis. Renu Dahal from CPN (Maoist Centre) secured the victory as the Mayor with a wide margin of 12,449 votes.
Dahal collected 52,030 votes while her nearest rival from CPN UML Bijay Subedi got 39,581 votes. Similarly, Nepali Congress candidate Chintra Sen Adhikari became Deputy Mayor.
However, the Office of the Chief Returning Officer is marking preparation to announce the victory formally.
The independent candidate for the mayoral post Jagannath Poudel got 14,728 votes, thereby losing the post to Dahal.
It is the second time Dahal got elected as Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolis.
Dahal, born at Bharatpur Metropolis-23 on 6 July 1976, is the daughter of Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Chairperson of CPN (Maoist Centre).
Dahal was also a Constituent Assembly member from 2007 to 2012 AD. Currently, General Secretary of All Nepal Women Association (Revolutionary), Dahal had also worked as Joint-In-Charge of then Maoist party in Rolpa.
She has worked in various other capacities in the party.
Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Adhikari defeated UML candidate Himala Gurung by a wide margin of 22,191 votes. Gurung was an RPP candidate for the deputy mayoral post. Adhikari collected 52,803 votes.
Adhikari is the Bharatpur Metropolis Committee President of the Nepali Congress. Born in 1967, Adhikari had begun his political career since student age. He was elected Chair at ward no 21 in the last local level election from Nepali Congress.
A total of 127,839 votes were cast in the metropolis. Among 29 wards, NC garnered victory at ward no 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 23, 27 and 29 while UML won in 3, 11, 12, 18, 19 and 28; Maoist Centre in 13, 24, 26; CPN (Unified Socialist) in 7, 9 and 22. An independent candidate won in ward no 25.
