KATHMANDU, May 31: Drigha Narayan Pandey, a candidate of the Nepali Congress (NC), has been elected as the member of the National Assembly (NA from Lumbini Province. 

Pandey, who was supported by other opposition parties including CPN (Maoist Center), Janta Samajbadi Party (JSP) and Rastriya Janamorcha garnered a total of 160 votes while his rival, CPN-UML’s Chandra Bahadur Khadka secured only 133 votes. 

An electoral college of Lumbini Province Assembly members and chiefs and deputy chiefs of the local units in the province participated in the Monday’s voting for the National Assembly seat that fell vacant after CPN (Maoist Center) relieved Chaadra Bahadur Khadka from the post of Province Assembly member after he decided to join ruling CPN-UML. 

Of the total 297 votes cast, Pandey received 42 votes from the provincial assembly and 118 from the local levels. Khada, on the other hand, managed to secure only 40 votes from Lumbini provincial assembly and 94 from the local units. 

Pandey, elected as the Lumbini Province Assembly member representing CPN-UML, resigned from the position of lawmaker and joined the Congress party.

 
• na_by-poll
 
• LUmbini