2022 Bharatpur municipal election

Municipal election for Bharatpur took place on 13 May 2022, with all 147 positions up for election across 29 wards.[2][3] The electorate elected a mayor, a deputy mayor, 29 ward chairs and 116 ward members. An indirect election will also be held to elect five female members and an additional three female members from the Dalit and minority community to the municipal executive.[4][5]

2022 Bharatpur municipal elections
← 2017 13 May 2022 2027 →

147 seats to Bharatpur Metropolitan City Council
74 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Renu Dahal Bijay Subedi Jagannath Paudel[1]
Party Maoist Centre CPN (UML) Independent
Seats before 8 70 0
Seats won 10 52 1
Seat change Increase 2 Decrease 18 Increase 1
Popular vote 52,028 39,582 14,728
Percentage 48.3% 36.8% 13.7%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Party Congress Unified Socialist RPP
Seats before 69 0 0
Seats won 75 5 4
Seat change Increase 6 Increase 5 Increase 4

Mayor before election

Renu Dahal
Maoist Centre

Elected Mayor

Renu Dahal
Maoist Centre

Renu Dahal of CPN (Maoist Centre) was re-elected as mayor winning 48.3% of the votes and Nepali Congress gained control of the council.[6]

Background

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Bharatpur was established in 1978 as a municipality. The municipality was upgraded to a sub-metropolitan city in 2014 after incorporating neighboring village development committees into Bharatpur municipality.[7] The metropolitan city was created in 2017 after incorporating Narayani municipality, Chitraban municipality and Kalibas VDC into Bharatpur sub-metropolitan city.[8] Electors in each ward elect a ward chair and four ward members, out of which two must be female and one of the two must belong to the Dalit community.[9]

In the previous election, Renu Dahal from CPN (Maoist Centre) was elected as the first mayor of the metropolitan city.[10]

Candidates

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A veteran Nepali Congress politician and advocate Paudel is an Independent mayoral candidate. Behind Poudel is a team of former presidents of Chitwan Congress Krishnalal Sapkota and Tikaram Neupane, former district secretary Anand Raj Raut, former MP Bhim Bahadur Shrestha, leader Meena Kharel, former president of Tarun Dal Shambhu Aryal and others. Paudel has previously served as deputy mayor of Bharatpur winning election in 2054 BS. He's even served as member of National Assembly. Currently, Election Commission has given him pineapple election symbol.

Paudel is one the founder of community campus, Balkumari Campus of Bharatpur. Similarly, Paudel has been involving in various social welfare activities.[11]

He's been a threat to both CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (UML) candidate while Nepali Congress had obtained the highest wardwise vote in previous elections.[12]

Renu Dahal

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Dahal, a former mayor of Bharatpur is running in the election even this time from CPN (Maoist Centre). Dahal is the daughter of Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Dahal had won 2017 election with the help of Nepali Congress.

Bijay Subedi

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Subedi, a former member of Provincial Assembly of Bagmati Province is the mayoral candidate from CPN (UML). He was put forward by Devi Gyawali who had lost previous elections by a very small margin.

List of Mayor and deputy mayor candidates

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Party Mayor candidate Deputy Mayor candidate
Nepali Congress Chitrasen Adhikari[13]
CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) Bijay Subedi[13]
CPN (Maoist Centre) Renu Dahal[13]
Rastriya Prajatantra Party Himali Gurung[13]
Dissident Nepali Congress Jagannath Paudel[13]

Surveys and opinion polls

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Date News agency Sample size Renu Dahal Bijay Subedi Jagannath Paudel Undecided Result
8 May 2022 Setopati[14] 242 66 57 23 97 Hung
27% 23% 9% 41%

National level news agency, Setopati conducted opinion poll among 242 people of Bharatpur of different areas which gave a conclusion that majority Nepali Congress voters were undecided. Some of them were campaigning for Renu Dahal but we're determined to vote Jagannath Paudel during vote to be safe from party expel. Few people who had voted Renu Dahal last time were thinking to vote Jagannath this time. Few voters criticized Puspa Kamal Dahal's statement of accident in country again if his daughter Renu lost the election.

Similarly, all the voters of CPN (UML)-RPP alliance were determined to vote their own candidate. This brought a conclusion that even CPN (UML) could vote Jagannath Paudel in contrition that they were sure of themself not to win. Similarly, there was effect in CPN (UML) vote after party split under leadership of Madhav Nepal.[14]

Exit polls

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Date Pollster Dahal Subedi Paudel Others Lead
Maoist UML Ind
13 May 2022 Facts Nepal[15] 41.4% 29.9% 19.8% 8.9% 11.5%

Results

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Mayoral election

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Mayoral elections result
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Maoist Centre Renu Dahal 52,028 48.3% +2.8%
CPN (UML) Bijay Subedi 39,582 36.8% −8.5%
Independent Jagannath Paudel 14,728 13.7% New
Others 1,311 1.2%
Total valid votes 107,649 100.0%
Rejected ballots 20,190
Turnout 127,839
Registered electors 185,752 [16]
Maoist Centre hold
Deputy mayoral elections result
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Congress Chitrasen Adhikari 52,803 62.2% +12.6%
RPP Himala Gurung 30,611 36.1% +28.5%
Others 1,471 1.7%
Total valid votes 84,885 100.0%
Rejected ballots 42,954
Turnout 127,839
Registered electors 185,752 [16]
Congress hold

Ward results

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Results of ward chair by party
Summary of Partywise Ward chairman and Ward member seats won, 2022
Party Chairman Members
Nepali Congress 16 58
CPN (Unified Marxist-Leninist) 6 46
CPN (Maoist Centre) 3 6
CPN (Unified Socialist) 3 2
Rastriya Prajatantra Party 0 4
Independent 1 0
Total 29 116

Summary of ward results

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Ward No. Ward Chair Ward Members
Open Open 2 Female Female Dalit
1
Keshav Maharjan



2
Manoj Ranabhat



3
Bikas Thapa



4
Arpan Pokharel



5
Yuddha Prasad Shrestha



6
Krishna Lal Shrestha



7
Rajendra Mani Kafle



8
Jeevan Nath Kadel



9
Yam Lal Kadel



10
Parmeshwar Khanal



11
Kamal Bahadur Malla



12
Lekh Raj Pant



13
Prakash Dawadi



14
Rajendra Sakhi



15
Shree Krishna Devkota



16
Amrit Raj Hamal



17
Lalit Man Tamang



18
Babu Ram Rana Magar



19
Prakash Tamang



20
Mukti Prasad Ghale



21
Krishna Kumar Gurung



22
Bishnu Raj Mahato



23
Dipak Dawadi



24
Ram Bahadur Godar



25
Chhabilal Sapkota



26
Gyan Prasad Khanal



27
Ram Bahadur Bhandari



28
Danda Pani Rijal



29
Surya Bahadur Gurung



Results for municipal executive election

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The municipal executive consists of the mayor, who is also the chair of the municipal executive, the deputy mayor and ward chairs from each ward. The members of the municipal assembly will elect five female members and three members from the Dalit and minority community to the municipal executive.[4]

Municipal Assembly composition

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Party Members
Nepali Congress 75
CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) 52
CPN (Maoist Centre) 10
CPN (Unified Socialist) 5
Rastriya Prajatantra Party 4
Independent 1
Total 147

Results

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Category Candidate[17] Party Votes
Female Member Sirjana Adhikari Nepali Congress 91
Sukmaya B.K. 89
Sharada Pokharel 87
Narbada Sapkota 86
Bina Nepali CPN (Maoist Centre) 86
Dalit/Minority Member Gopal Darai Nepali Congress 97
Kopila Uparkoti CPN (Unified Socialist) 92
Bishnu Bahadur Bhujel CPN (Maoist Centre) 86

Municipal Executive composition

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Party Members
Nepali Congress 22
CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) 6
CPN (Maoist Centre) 6
CPN (Unified Socialist) 4
Independent 1
Total 39

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "भरतपुरकाे मेयरमा कांग्रेसका जगन्नाथ पाैडेलकाे स्वतन्त्र उम्मेदवारी".
  2. ^ Article 215(6) of the Constitution of Nepal (September 20, 2015)
  3. ^ "Government announces local level elections for May 13". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  4. ^ a b Article 216 of the Constitution of Nepal (September 20, 2015)
  5. ^ यसरी चुनिँदै छन् स्थानीय प्रतिनिधि, कार्यपालिकाभन्दा व्यवस्थापिका ठूलो. Setopati. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Renu Dahal re-elected as mayor of Bharatpur". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  7. ^ Magazine, New Spolight. "Nepal government declares 61 new municipalities". SpotlightNepal. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  8. ^ "संक्षिप्त परिचय | भरतपुर महानगरपालिका". www.bharatpurmun.gov.np (in Nepali). Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  9. ^ Article 223(2) of the Constitution of Nepal (September 20, 2015)
  10. ^ "Renu Dahal elected mayor of Bharatpur metropolis". thehimalayantimes.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  11. ^ "भरतपुरमा विद्रोहको झण्डा नछाडेका जगन्नाथ पौडेल". Online Khabar. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  12. ^ "अमेरिकी ग्रिनकार्डबारे भरतपुरका बागी जगन्नाथ भन्छन्– म नेपाललाई नै अमेरिका बनाउने चाहने मान्छे, किन अमेरिका गएर बस्ने ?". Farakdhar || Nepal's Online Magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  13. ^ a b c d e "चितवनका आकांक्षीहरुको जित्ने दाबी, रेनु दाहाल भन्छिन्- भरतपुरवासीको ठूलो विश्वास जितेको छु". चितवनका आकांक्षीहरुको जित्ने दाबी, रेनु दाहाल भन्छिन्- भरतपुरवासीको ठूलो विश्वास जितेको छु. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  14. ^ a b Setopati, सन्जिब बगाले. "चुनाव नजिकिँदै जाँदा भरतपुरमा रेनु दाहाल बलियो कि विजय सुवेदी?". Setopati. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  15. ^ "भरतपुर महानगरपालिकाका". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  16. ^ a b "प्रेस विज्ञप्ति" (PDF). Election Commission, Nepal (in Nepali). Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  17. ^ "भरतपुर महानगरको कार्यपालिका निर्वाचनमा पाँच दलीय गठबन्धन विजयी". GorakhaPatra. Retrieved 2022-06-11.