DHARAN, Dec. 3 -- Dharan, considered to be a safe constituency for the CPN-UML until recently has ceased to be so if the by-election results are anything go by.

In the election held on Saturday, the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) candidate lost the mayorship of Dharan Sub-Metropolis to Nepali Congress candidate Tilak Rai. Rai secured 26,709 votes, which is 2,795 more than the votes won by his closet rival NCP candidate Prakash Rai's.

During the Panchayat era and after the mass movement of 1989, communists had won every elections here. So, it was assumed that the legacy would continue. However, Rai who had lost the seat to NCP candidate during the 2017 election has set a new record this time.

During the local level elections of 2017, the t...