Pandey, Rathor and Mansoor elected Congress joint general secys

KATHMANDU, Dec 17: Badri Pandey, Kishor Singh Rathor and Farmullah Mansoor have been elected for the joint general secretary positions of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC). 

Pandey won the elections in the seat allocated for the backward region, Rathor for Khas Arya community and Mansoor for the Muslim community. 

Voting for the NC executive committee including 13 office bearer positions was held on Monday as part of the 14th General Convention. 

Pandey, fielded by the Shekhar Koirala panel defeated his rival Jeevan Bahadur Shahi with a margin of 278 votes. Shahi, also the chief minister of Karnali Province, was the candidate representing the Sher Bahadur Deuba panel. 

While Pandey secured 2,411 votes, Shahi won 2,133 votes. 

Rathor, who stood victorious in the Khas Arya cluster, secured a total of 2,576 votes to defeat his contender Devraj Chalise (2,059). Rathor belongs to the Deuba camp. 

Mansoor, another candidate from the Deuba panel in the joint secretarial fray, defeated Koirala camp’s Sheikh Wakil. Mansoor secured 2,776 against Wakil’s 1,871. 

Of the eight clusters for the joint general secretarial positions, results of two clusters ---- Madhesi and Tharu communities ---- are yet to be announced.