CPN-UML’s hopes of closing the gap on Renu Dahal in ward numbers 10 and 11 were dealt a blow on Thursday as the CPN (Maoist Center) candidate maintained her lead over UML’s Bijay Subedi in the election for mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City.
As per the latest update, Dahal has extended her lead to 3,325 votes with 47,511 votes counted so far. She has secured 17,972 votes while Subedi is at 14,647. The rebel candidate of Nepali Congress (NC) Jagannath Paudel is third at 7,223.
Subedi trails alliance candidate Dahal by 102 votes in ward number 10 with 4,600 votes counted so far.
Dahal has bagged 1,553 votes in the ward while Subedi has 1,451 and Paudel has managed 7,77.
The results of 1,108 votes have yet to arrive.
UML has placed its biggest hopes on ward number 11, which the party considers its bastion in the metropolis.
It is also the ward with the largest number of voters in Bharatpur – 9,081 had voted here in this local election.
However, Subedi is behind Dahal here, too. Of the 2,300 votes counted until now, 853 have gone to Subedi while Dahal has bagged 883. Paudel has 163 votes in the ward.
Meanwhile, UML’s candidate for ward chair is ahead by 309 votes.
