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Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Dr Swarnim Wagle has been elected as the member of the House of Representatives from Tanahun-1. According to the final voting results made public this morning, Wagle defeated his closest contender by a margin of 14, 797 votes. The Chief Election Officer’s office, however, is yet to formally announce the winner. Out of 65, 316 votes cast in the election, Wagle secured 34, 919 votes. His closest contender Govinda Bhattarai of the Nepali Congress garnered 20, 122 votes while Sarbendra Khanal of the CPN-UML obtained 8, 488 votes. Wagle won the election by around 10, 000 more votes than Nepali Congress candidate Ram Chandra Paudel in the November 20 elections. Paudel had won the election by receiving 25, 361 votes. His nearest rival Ek Bahadur Rana Magar of the CPN-UML had secured 19, 981 votes. The by-election was held in Tanahun-1 on April 23 as the HoR seat had fallen vacant after Ram Chandra Paudel of Tanahun-1 was elected as the President of the country.      

Top leaders of the major political parties—Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) have agreed to form a parliamentary special committee to discuss the TRC bill. They have also agreed to endorse the bill related to Constitutional Council directly through the Parliament. Nepali Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said that the 10 thematic committees and two joint committees will get full shape soon. Talking to journalists after the meeting held in Singha Durbar on Monday, Lekhak said, “The TRC bill will be finalized by forming a special committee.” The meeting discussed finalizing the TRC bill and Constitutional Council bill through political consensus. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and chief whip of these parties were present in the meeting. The UML has been saying that the transitional justice bill should be taken to the parliamentary committee while the ruling coalition parties have been saying that the bill should be endorsed through fast track.  

Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Belan Shah said that he will comply with the order issued by the Supreme Court. Last week, the apex court had issued an order directing the metropolis to collect the garbage of Singha Durbar and Sheetal Niwas within three days. Following the order, Mayor Shah responded that the metropolis has been working on issues related to garbage management and sanitation giving priority. “We have received a copy of the interim order issued by the honorable court to remove garbage from Singha Durbar and Sheetal Niwas. We will abide by the order,” he said. Mayor Shah said that the federal government should also follow the order of the Supreme Court. “We are committed to comply with the order of the apex court. But, not only the metropolis, the federal government among others should also adhere the verdicts, orders and directives of the honorable court seriously,” he said. It has been more than two weeks that the garbage of Singha Durbar, the country’s administrative hub, has not been collected following the directive of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Shah. The metropolis had been saying that the garbage would not be collected unless the government showed readiness to hold talks. Mayor Shah said that the decision to not collect garbage from Singha Durbar was an outcome of neglect, lack of responsibility and carelessness on part of the federal government. Earlier on Monday, a writ was filed at the Supreme Court against the decision of Mayor Shah not to collect waste of Singha Durbar, Baluwatar and Sheetal Niwas.  

Nepal has urged the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to invest in projects which are productive and capable of creating jobs. During a meeting held between National Planning Commission (NPC) Vice Chair Dr Min Bahadur Shrestha and ADB Country Director Arnaud Cauchois at Singha Durbar today, the former requested for the same. On the occasion, the NPC Vice Chair insisted on the need of increasing investment in the productive and employment creation projects in Nepal. He also thanked the regional bank for its support to Nepal's development endeavors, expressing his hope for the continuity of the ADB assistance in the days to come. During the meeting, the two discussed cooperation between the NPC and the ADB and the ADB-funded projects in Nepal.  The ADB country director apprised the NPC Vice Chair that a 'portfolio review' of ADB investment in Nepal has improved. He added that the ADB is ready to invest in new projects launched by the government. The ADB's investment in Nepal is equivalent to USD 3.2 billion. Till the year 2022, the ADB's investment was in energy, transport, agricultural, drinking water, urban development, service, rural development, health and education sectors and in the natural resources. It has invested in various projects including Melamchi Drinking Water Project, Gautam Buddha International Airport and Upper Trishuli Hydropower Project. Last year, the ADB had provided a loan equivalent to 255 million US Dollar to Nepal. During the portfolio review meeting, the ADB also awarded the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project, Bagmati River Basin Improvement Project, Rural Enterprise Financing Project and Electricity Transmission and Distribution Efficiency Enhancement Project.