Birgunj Metropolitan City, the only metropolitan city in the Madhes Province, is gripped with election fever as different political parties and the independent candidates have intensified their publicity campaign in the city. Birgunj Metropolitan City is also the hometown of Chief Minister of Madhes Province Lalbabu Raut. Different political parties are making their commitment paper public and have been carrying out door-to-door campaigns to ask for a vote in the local-level election scheduled for May 13.

Altogether 18 candidates including independent ones are vying for the mayoral candidates in Birgunj while there are four candidates including two independent for the post of deputy mayor. Rajeshman Singh is the mayoral candidate of Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) representing the five-party electoral alliance. Likewise, Bijaya Kumar Sarawagi is the common candidate of the CPN (UML) and Loktantrik Samajwadi Party. Sarawagi had joined the UML some weeks ago after intra-party feuds in the JSP.

The other candidates for the post of mayor are Girish Giri from Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Bijay Kumar Rauniyar from Nepal Sadbhawana Party, Gokarna Prasad Koiri from Nepal Kisan Party among others. There are a total of 124,647 voters in Birgunj Metropolitan City. Meanwhile, the Election Office has directed all the political parties to replace the publicity banners and posters of the political parties placed in public places. As per the election code of conduct, the candidates and political parties are not allowed to place their parties’ flags, election symbols and any other publicity materials in the public buildings, public parks and other public spaces.