Maoists lead vote counting, top NC, UML leaders defeated

Kathmandu, Apr 13 (UNI) Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has so far won 46 out of 85 seats in the April 10 Constituent Assembly (CA) elections for which counting is going on.

Nepali Congress(NC) and CPN-UML are trailing behind with 14 seats each while Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, a regional party of the Terai won six seats.

Acting President of the Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Prime Minister GP Koirala's daughter Sujata Koirala, former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and Dr Shekhar Koirala have lost in the elections.

CPN-UML General Secretary Nepal was defeated in Kathmandu constituency by the Maoist candidate. Mr Nepal is also contesting from Rautahat.

Vice president of the NC and senior minister Ram Chandra Paudyal won the election in is home constituency Tanahun while most of the senior Maoists leaders including Prachand and Dr Baburam Bhattarai have won.

Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML general secretary Nepal resigned from their post after defeat.

This is the first time that Maoists have participated in the election after they signed a peace agreement with the seven parties to end the decade-long insurgency which claimed has 14,000 lives.

UNI XC SZ BST2048