Chitwan-3 constituency includes nine wards of Madi Municipality and wards 6, 8, 9, and 13 to 28 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City.
- Total Voters: 155,309
- Polling Centers: 174
Previous Election (2079 BS):
- Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leader Vikram Pandey won with 35,060 votes, backed by UML.
- Second place: Bhojraj Adhikari of the then Maoist Centre with 25,824 votes, supported by Nepali Congress.
- Dinesh Koirala (Congress) ran as an independent against party decision and received 12,275 votes.
- Jita Baral (Rastriya Swatantra Party, RSP) secured 14,843 votes, finishing third.
Proportional Representation (PR) Votes:
- RSP: 28,401 votes
- RPP: 16,755 votes
- Maoist Centre: 16,090 votes
- UML: 14,522 votes
- Nepali Congress: 10,524 votes
Key Candidates This Election:
- Renu Dahal (NCP): Former Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, resigned to contest under NCP. Her two-term mayoral experience is her major campaign strength.
- Sobita Gautam (RSP): Prominent RSP leader, bringing attention to this constituency.
- Tek Prasad Gurung (Nepali Congress) and Shankarraj Thapaliya (UML) are also in the race.
- Deepak Thapa Magar (RPP) is contesting after Vikram Pandey withdrew.
In total, 23 candidates are contesting in Chitwan-3 this year.
Election Dynamics:
- Compared to the previous election, voting patterns have shifted significantly.
- Congress voters now have the opportunity to vote for their traditional symbol, the “tree,” after several years.
- The nationwide RSP momentum may influence this constituency, while Renu Dahal leverages her mayoral track record.
- With RPP comparatively weaker due to Pandey’s withdrawal, the competition is primarily among NCP, RSP, and Congress, making Chitwan-3 a hotly contested three-way race.
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