Chitwan, June 26 -- In a closely contested internal election, Bipin Acharya has been elected general secretary of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), securing 673 votes at the party's first general convention in Bharatpur, Chitwan.

He defeated outgoing party spokesperson Manish Jha, who received 346 votes. Ganesh Karki polled 169 votes, while Sagar Dhakal secured 139 votes. After the counting concluded, Jha publicly congratulated Acharya even before the official announcement by the election committee. Voting was conducted through electronic voting machines at the venue, along with ballots from the party's diaspora wing.

In another key contest, Sobita Gautam was elected deputy vice-chair, defeating Toshima Karki in a high-profile race. ...