Khim Lal Devkota has been elected National Assembly member defeating Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa of ruling CPN-UML.
Devkota, who is close to UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, contested as joint candidate of opposition parties including Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN (Maoist Center).
A total of 348 voters including 110 province assembly members of Bagmati and 238 chairs and vice-chairs of rural municipalities and mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities under the Bagmati province were eligible to cast their votes in the by-election.
The weightage of a vote of province assembly member is 48 while it is 18 in case of the chairs/mayors and vice-chairs/deputy mayors.
Devkota got a total of 5,088 weighted votes, according to parliamentary party leader of CPN (Maoist Center) in Bagmati Shalik Ram Jamakattel. Thapa got just 4,014 weighted votes.
Talking with Setopati after his victory, Devkota called his win a message against the government and victory of everyone who respects the Constitution and federalism. "I won't say much as I contested as an independent candidate. But these are the votes that came together against the kinds of work this government is doing," he stated. "This government has violated rules-based system and the Constitution. My votes are result of that."
The defeat comes just hours after the SC revoked appointment of seven ministers including Thapa who are not federal lawmakers.
