Ruling parties finalise seat sharing in metropolis, sub-metropolis for local polls

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, Apr. 20: The ruling parties have finalized a deal on seat-sharing among them in the metropolis and sub-metropolis across the country.

A meeting of the ruling parties held today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba struck the deal to this effect.

Government spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki informed the press after the meeting held at the Prime Minister's official residence that the ruling coalition made the agreement on sharing the mayor and deputy mayor of the six metropolia and 11 sub-metropolis.

The agreement was undersigned by the top leaders of the five ruling parties. Prime Minister and NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal, Janata Samajwadi Party Chair Upendra Yadav and Rastriya Janamorch vice-Chair Durga Paudel have signed the agreement letter.

The ruling parties will file their candidates in the upcoming local polls for the posts in the metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities in accordance with the deal made.

According to government spokesperson Karki, Nepali Congress will field its candidates in three out of total six metropolitan cities, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Biratnagar, in the post of mayor while it will field candidate for deputy mayor in Pokhara, Birgunj and Bharatpur metropolitan cities.

The NC will field its candidate as mayor in Dharan, Itahari, Kalaiya, Butwal, Tulasipur, Nepalgunj and Dhandagadhi sub-metropolitan cities while in Jitpur Simara, Ghorahi and Hetauda sub-metropolitan cities the party will field its candidates for deputy mayor.

As per the deal, CPN (Maoist Center) will field its candidate as mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City and Jitpur Simara and Ghorahi sub-metropolitan cities while the party will field its candidate as deputy mayor in Lalitpur Metropolitan City and Dharan and Dhanagadhi Sub-Metropolitan Cities.

Similarly, CPN (Unified Socialist) will field its candidate as mayor in Pokhara Metropolitan City and Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City and as deputy mayor in Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Itahari, Butwal and Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan Cities.

Likewise, JSP will field its candidate for the post of mayor in Birgunj Metropolitan City and Janakpur Sub-Metropolitan City and for the post of deputy mayor in Biratnagar Metropolitan City and Kalaiya and Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan Cities.