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Nepal's largest party elects Sher Bahadur Deuba as new president

Xinhua, March 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

A veteran leader of the Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba, has been elected as the president of the Nepal's largest party.

Deuba, three-time prime minister of the country, became the party's president from the 13th National General Convention in a run-off held here on Monday night.

Deuba garnered 1,822 votes while his rival and Nepali Congress Acting President Ram Chandra Poudel was restricted to 1,296 votes out of 3,118 valid votes. Vote counting for other major positions of the party such as the general secretary and treasurer will be done on Tuesday.

Deuba, 69, who hails from Asigram of Dadheldhura District of Far-Western Region of Nepal, was the country's prime minister from 1995 to 1997, from 2001 to 2002, and from 2004 to 2005, respectively.

In the first round of elections held on Sunday, Deuba garnered 1,564 votes; his rivals Ram Chandra Poudel Paudel secured 1,160 and Krishna Prasad Sitaula got 324 votes.

Though Deuba led the vote count, he fell 11 votes short of the necessary 1,575 votes to cross the 50 percent mark of the total votes cast to become victorious in the election.

A runoff was held between the two top rivals on Monday to determine winner according to the party's rules.

Earlier in 2002, Deuba became president of Nepali Congress- Democratic, which was a splinter faction of the Nepali Congress. Later Deuba merged his party with the Nepali Congress.

The General Convention of the Nepali Congress that started on March 3 has also approved the party's policy and programmes. Endite