BUTWAL, July 4: When the election results of Gulmi district's Resunga Municipality were announced, the main opposition CPN-UML was declared victorious over its arch-rival Nepali Congress (NC) by a narrow margin of 147 votes. UML's Dilli Raj Bhusal won the elections by outgunning NC's Bhuwan Shrestha. 

Although the municipality is considered a stronghold of NC, its competitor UML has been highly regarding it as of strategic importance. After the election result of the municipality was announced, UML supporters and leaders were elated while NC expressed deep disappointment marking the loss as 'an act of betrayal'.

NC leaders and cadres wore a very disappointing look after losing the elections in their own stronghold although winning and losing is the part of democratic elections. NC immediately sought reasons for the defeat and blamed it on intra-party feud. On the other hand, UML wasted no time to call its chairman KP Oli in the district's Tamghas and organize a victory rally.

“This is a great day for us as we have won the election for the first time in this constituency. This place has always been a stronghold of Congress, but now we have broken it,” said UML District Committee member Janga Nepali.

On the other hand, Shrestha, who is also NC district president, has declared to resign from the post.

Defeated NC candidate Shrestha claimed that he was betrayed from within the party. He also said that the party is actively looking for the betrayers. “I will not name the betrayers now. But they will be exposed in time,” he told Republica.

Other members of NC, including NC central committee member and lawmaker from Gulmi-2 Chandra Bhandari, have expressed similar views.

Among the 14 wards of Resunga Municipality, UML won the posts of chiefs of six wards.

NC candidates secured victory in eight wards. As most of the election discussions in the district revolve around Resunga Municipality, both the parties had made victory in the municipality a matter of prestige.

NC had forged an alliance with the ruling CPN (Maoist Center) with an aim to outrank the main opposition UML.

 
• poll results
 
• joy
 
• tears
 
• second phase
 
• local polls