Vote counting ends in 733 local levels

Kathmandu, May 24: Election results of 733 local bodies, including 275 municipalities and 458 rural municipalities, have been made public as of 8:00 pm Monday.  The final results of around 98 per cent of the 753 local levels are out now. 

According to the Election Commission (EC), the vote count is progressing in 16 municipalities and two rural municipalities while it has been stalled in two local levels. 

The result of 19 local levels with high number of voters including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara and Bharatpur metropolis and some other local levels where re-election were held remain to be announced. 

As per the EC’s updated data, 34,487 office bearers, including 274 mayors and deputy mayors, 458 chairs and deputy chairs, 6,628 ward chairpersons, and 6,627 women ward members, 6,509 Dalit women and 13,259 ward members have been elected so far. 

Altogether 586 mayors and deputy mayors in municipalities and 920 chairs and vice chairs will be elected in local levels and 33,715 representatives in 6,743 wards. The Election Commission has said that the final results of the vote counting will be available by May 24. 

Talking to The Rising Nepal, EC’s Assistant Spokesperson Surya Prasad Aryal said the final results of the all the local levels would be made public by Tuesday, except for Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Metropolitan City. “The results of the two metropolis will be out by Wednesday.”

Vote counting stalled in Triyuga, Budigana  

The election result of Triyuga Municipality of Udayapur and Budiganga Rural Municipality of Bajura has been uncertain.

The vote counting of the two local levels has been stalled in the midst of allegation of irregularities and EC’s indecision on the same.

Aryal said vote counting of Triyuga and Budiganga have been halted due to the dispute between the ruling coalition and the opposition party. 

According to Aryal, “The EC’s had formed a probe committee to investigate into both local levels. 

The probe committee has already submitted report of Budiganga while the report of Triyuga is yet to be submitted.”

As per the report, no such irregularities were taken place in Budiganga Rural Municipality, he added. Vote counting has not begun in Budiganga Rural Municipality as Nepali Congress is demanding a re-election on the ground of allegations of irregularities while CPN-UML representatives have taken stand that vote counting should proceed in status quo. 

NC emerges largest party 

Ruling Nepali Congress (NC) has emerged as the biggest party from the local polls. It has already won the key posts in the largest number of local bodies while its candidates are leading in more local levels. 

The main opposition CPN-UML is trailing behind the NC. 

The NC has won chief positions in 321 local units, including 134 municipalities and 187 rural municipalities, while it is still leading in five local bodies. 

The ruling NC has secured deputy-mayoral posts in 105 municipalities and vice-chairs in 190 rural municipalities. 

Similarly, the UML has won chief positions in 200 local units, 77 municipalities and 123 rural municipalities, while it is leading in five municipalities. 

Likewise, it won the post of deputy mayor in 104 municipalities and deputy chair in 125 rural municipalities.

Likewise, the CPN (Maoist Centre) has won the mayoral posts in 24 municipalities and deputy mayors in 33. It has secured chief position in 96 and deputy-chief positions in 95 rural municipalities. 

The CPN (Unified Socialist) has been able to win mayors in 10 municipalities and chairs in eight rural municipalities, and the candidates of the Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal (JSP-N) have been elected as chairs in 21 and deputy chairs in 19 rural municipalities.

Likewise, NC candidates have been elected chairs in 2,622 wards, UML in 2,100 wards, CPN (MC) in 1,044 wards, JSP-N in 285 and others in 580 wards.

Result of one metropolis out by 8:00 pm 

As of Monday, final results of only one of six metropolis have been made public. Only the results of Biratnagar Metropolitan City of Morang has been made, where Nagesh Koirala of the Nepali Congress has won the mayoral post in with 30,170 votes. 

According to EC, Koirala’s nearest rival Sagar Kumar Thapa of CPN-UML has secured 21,455 votes. 

Likewise, CPN-UML’s Shilpa  Karki has won the deputy-mayoral post with 25,680 votes while her nearest rival Amarendra Yadav of JSP-N received 14,219 votes. 

Similarly mayoral candidates of the ruling alliance have maintained their lead in four of the five metropolitan cities, while independent 

candidate Balendra Shah has been leading in Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). 

As of 6:00 pm, 154, 356 votes have been counted in Kathmandu, and Shah received 46,534 votes while Srijana Singh of NC is behind him with 27, 758 votes. Likewise, Keshav Sthapit of the UML has got 26, 773 votes. 

Similarly, UML candidate for deputy mayor Sunita Dangol has been leading the vote counting with 48, 517 while CPN (Unified Socialist) candidate Rameshwor Shrestha has got 16, 660 votes. In Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Nepali Congress’ candidate Chiribabu Maharjan is leading the vote count while in Bharatpur Metropolitan City, CPN (MC) candidate Renu Dahal is leading. Similarly, in Birgunj Metropolitan City, Rajesh Man Singh of Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal is ahead of other candidates.

Similarly, the ruling alliance candidate Dhanraj Acharya is leading the mayoral post in Pokhara Metropolitan City. Meanwhile, independent candidate Manoj Kumar Sah Sudi has been elected mayor of Janakpurdham Sub metropolitan City by garnering 13,465 votes. 

A rebel candidate of NC, Sah defeated UML’s Shiva Shankar Sah, who got 9,532 votes. Likwise, Kishori Sah of NC has been elected deputy mayor with 15,525 votes. 

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress (NC) has won mayor and deputy-mayor post in Byas Municipality of Tanahun. 

NC candidate Baikuntha Neupane won the mayoral post by garnering 12,078 votes while his nearest rival Deepak Joshi got 11,826 votes. 

Likewise, Indira Darai of NC has been elected deputy mayor with 13,498 votes. Her closest rival Basundhara Gharti of CPN-UML got 10,042 votes. 

Likewise, Mahesh Kharel has been elected mayor of Panchkhal Municipality in Kavre. 

According to our Kavre correspondent, he garnered 12,836 votes while his closest rival Kanchan Adhikari of CPN-UNL received 8,115 votes.

Likewise, Surya Maya Danuwar of the CPN-UML has been elected deputy mayor by securing 9,534 votes while her closest competitor Chet Prasad Gautam of Maoist Centre got 9010 votes.