RAMPUR, July 2: Raman Bahadur Thapa of Nepali Congress (NC) has been elected the mayor of Rampur Municipality, which is believed to be a CPN-UML stronghold.
Thapa secured 8,885 votes against CPN-UML candidate Raju Shrestha who obtained 7,676. Out of the 22,109 registered voters, 17,238 cast their votes. Shrestha had been elected a ward chairman in the local elections held 20 years ago.
Similarly, NC's Bishnu Devi Ghimire, the daughter of a 1990 people's movement martyr, won the post of deputy mayor with 8,528, defeating CPN-UML's Durga Devi Rana who got 7,924 votes, according to election officer Gyan Prasad Bhushal.
Mayor-elect Thapa, who defeated the electoral alliance of CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN-UML, said that he will dedicate himself to development of the municipality.
Out of the 10 wards in the municipality, NC won in six wards-2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 while CPN-UML won in four wards-1, 3, 9 and 10. Mitra Lal Kandel won as the chair of ward number 1, Tara Bahadur Thapa of ward 2, Uma Nath Aryal of ward 3, Ek Bahadur Nepali of ward 4, Himal Malla of ward 5, Humanath Neupane in 6, Tirtha Prasad Pangeni in 7, Bom Bahadur Namjali in 8, Ichchharam Thapa Sinjali in 9 and Lil Bahadur Gaha in ward 10.
UML wins Nepali Congress’s stronghold
