The Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal (SSF-N) has won the mayoral post in Birgunj Metropolitan City in the third phase of local level elections.

Bijaya Kumar Sarawagi, the SSF-N mayoral candidate, won the race with 19,393 votes. Sarawagi defeated his closest rival Ajaya Kumar Dwibedi of the Nepali Congress by 2,196 votes. The mayor-elect is a businessman.Also in the mayoral race were Basaruddin Ansari of the CPN-UML, Rahabar Ansari of the CPN (Maoist Centre), Rajeshman Singh of the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal and Bimal Shreewastav of the Nepal Loktantrik Forum.

NC’s Shanti Karki was elected deputy mayor of the metropolis with 19,607 votes. Her nearest competitor Pinki Yadav of the NLF got 18,530 votes. According to the District Election Office, the total number of votes cast in the Parsa metropolis was 84,160.

NC wins Kalaiya sub-metropolis

The Nepali Congress won the mayor and deputy mayor seats in Kalaiya Sub-metropolitan City as the results were announced on Wednesday.NC’s Rajesh Yadav was elected mayor of the sub-metropolis with 10,903 votes. His closest rival Binod Sah of the CPN (Maoist Centre) received 10,538 votes. Rahima Khatun was elected deputy mayor of the sub-metropolis, defeating her top contender Pratima Yadav by 344 votes. Khatun got 10, 716 votes.

According to the District Election Office, the NC won six of the 16 local units in Bara district, CPN-UML two, Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal four and Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal three while the Nepal Loktantrik Forum registered its victory in one local federal unit.