Lamichhane, Dr. Wagle of RSP win by-election

By Shaligram Nepal/Amarraj Naharki,Chitwan/Tanahun, Apr. 26: Rastriya Swatantra Party’s candidates have won the by-election to the House of Representatives from Chitwan-2 and Tanahun-1 with a huge vote margin.

 While party chairman Rabi Lamichhane won the by-election in Chitwan Constituency-2 by getting 54,176 votes, Dr. Swarnim Wagle won with 34,911 votes in Tanahun-1.

Wagle had joined the RSP only on March 31 after deserting the Nepali Congress and become its candidate.  

Lamichhane’s closest rival Jeet Narayan Shrestha of the Nepali Congress (NC) got 11,214 votes. Lamichhane won the election with a vote margin of 42,962 votes; he secured nearly five times more votes than Shrestha. 

Similarly, CPN-UNL’s Ram Prasad Neupane got 10,963 votes. In November 20 elections, CPN-UML had garnered 14,000 votes and Lamichhane had won by gaining 49,300 votes.

After the election results, CPN-UML’s and NC’s candidates both congratulated Lamichhane. NC’s Shrestha said that the public did not believe him in the election and the responsibility now had fallen upon Lamichhane. 

In Chitwan-2, out of 22 total candidates, the collateral of 19 candidates had been forfeited. Here, 12 candidates from political parties and 10 independent candidates were in the fray. 

Dr. Wagle defeated NC candidate Govinda Bhattarai by a margin of 14,789 votes.  Dr. Wagle received 34,911 votes while Bhattarai got 20,122 votes, whereas former Nepal Police chief Sarbendra Khanal, an UML candidate, garnered only 8,488 votes, said Hari Prasad Dhakal, district election officer. 

Similarly, Shobha Gurung of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) garnered 218 votes, Bhim Bahadur Sunar of Nagarik Unmukti Party received 99, and Ram Prasad Prajapati of Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party received 31 votes. Total 65,216 votes were cast in the by-election in Tanahun on Sunday. Of that, 1,181 votes were invalid, said Dhakal. 

Amid a function held on Tuesday, Dr. Wagle was awarded a certificate of being elected at the member of HoR. 

Chief electoral officer and District Judge Komal Prasad Acharya handed over the certificate of the election.

While presenting the certificate, chief electoral officer Acharya wished the newly elected lawmaker Wagle to move ahead with determination of promoting good governance, development and prosperity. The Tanahun constituency had gone vacant after Nepali Congress leader Ramchandra Paudel was elected as President on March 9. However, vote counting is going on in Bara-2 and Upendra Yadav of the Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal is leading with 20,463 while  Shivachandra Kushahawa of Janamt Party is trailing Yadav with 17,797 votes.