CPN-UML has decided to field Bagmati lawmaker Bijay Subedi as the party's candidate for mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City.
The meeting of party's Bharatpur committee held in presence of Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali on Sunday has decided to field Subedi as mayoral candidate. He was elected to the Bagmati provincial assembly from Chitwan (2B).
Devi Prasad Gyawali, who controversially lost the last mayoral election to Renu Dahal after Maoist cadres tore the ballots during vote counting when Dahal looked set to lose the election to force a reelection in a ward that helped her emerge victorious by a slender margin, and federal lawmaker Krishna Bhakta Pokharel were also considered as contenders for the ticket.
Devi Gyawali proposed to make Subedi the candidate and Pokharel supported the proposal, according to a party source. Pokharel had been saying that he does not wish to climb down to the local election having already become federal lawmaker.
Subedi led the process for preparing the master plan for Greater Chitwan. He was Social Development Minister of Bagmati in the Ashta Laxmi Shakya's Cabinet.
The party, however, did not take a decision on the ticket for deputy mayor.
It is preparing to forge alliance with RPP and other parties to fight the five-party ruling coalition that looks very strong in the metropolis. UML may decide to support candidate of other parties as part of the electoral alliance for the post of deputy mayor.
