Dharan, April 1 -- Vote counting at the Dharan City Hall commenced on the afternoon of March 7, two days after polling. In the tallies for wards 1, 2, and 3 of the Dharan Sub-metropolitan City, Sarin Tamang, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) candidate, held a steady lead.

"That initial lead gave me hope, but I wasn't overconfident," Sarin recalled. "There were still 24 wards [whose votes were] left to count."

By the time the final results for Sunsari-1-which encompasses the sub-metropolitan city and surrounding areas-were announced, Sarin had secured 27,249 votes. While a remarkable figure for a transgender candidate, it was not enough for victory.

Harka Sampang, the former mayor and chairman of the Shram Sanskriti Party, defeated her...