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Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi offered Pooja and prayers at the sacred Mayadevi temple in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha.

The Indian Prime Minister arrived in Lumbini this morning to celebrate the Buddha Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, on Monday.

Leading an 11-member delegation, Modi arrived in Lumbini on an Indian Air Force helicopter this morning.

He was received by his Nepali counterpart Prime Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Prime Minister Deuba's wife Arzu Deuba, Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka, Physical Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Renu Kumari Yadav, Tourism Minister Prem Ale and Education, Science and Technology Minister Devendra Paudel welcomed the Indian Prime Minister.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Nepal. He was received by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha

After landing, the Indian PM tweeted, “Happy to be among the wonderful people of Nepal on the special occasion of Buddha Purnima. Looking forward to the programmes in Lumbini.” He will participate in a ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. He will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. Ministry of Foreign Affairs said PM Deuba warmly received Modi upon his arrival at Lumbini. 

CPN-UML candidate Bijay Subedi is leading the vote count with a narrow in Bharatpur Metropolitan City.

Out of 10, 405 votes counted so far, Subedi has garnered 3, 633 votes while CPN (Maoist Centre) candidate Renu Dahal secured 3, 629 votes.

Similarly, independent candidate Jagannath Paudel received 1, 397 votes.

Likewise, Nepali Congress deputy mayoral candidate Chitrasen Adhikari obtained 4, 113 votes and Rastriya Prajatantra Party candidate Himala Gurung, who has got support of the UML, 2, 861 votes.

Ward chairperson 

Bikash Thapa (UML): 1, 171 votes

Bharat Lamichhane (NC): 752 votes

Independent candidate Balen Shah is leading the vote count in Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

Shah is in the first place with 6, 207 votes while CPN-UML candidate Keshav Sthapit is in the second place with 3, 243 votes and Nepali Congress candidate Srijana Singh is in the third place with 2, 885 votes.

The vote counting is underway in ward 1, 2, 3, 4 and 32 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

Nepal’s second international airport Gautam Buddha International Airport built in Bhairahawa has been inaugurated on May 16.  Airbus A320 of Jazeera Airways of Kuwait has landed at the airport marking the official inauguration of the airport.  A special program in the presence of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was organized to inaugurate the airport. 

Earlier, Tribhuwan International Airport located in the capital city of Kathmandu was the only international airport. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India’s ties with Nepal are unparalleled. Issuing a press statement ahead of Lumbini visit, Modi said the civilizational and people-to-people contacts between India and Nepal form the enduring edifice of our close relationship.

My visit is intended to celebrate and further deepen these time-honored linkages that have been fostered through centuries and recorded in our long history of inter-mingling, he said.

I also look forward to meeting Prime Minister Deuba again after our productive discussions during his visit to India last month, he said.  “We will continue to build on our shared understanding to expand cooperation in multiple areas, including in hydropower, development and connectivity.

• Vote counting for May 13 local elections is still in a preliminary stage. So, it is too early to make any conclusion. Preliminary counting indicates Nepali Congress is likely to emerge as the first party, CPN-UML second, and CPN (Maoist Center) in the third position. CPN-UML has been accused of voting rigging by the ruling coalition.
• In five Metropolitan cities, NC candidates are leading in Lalitpur and Biratnagar, in Bharatpur, there is tight competition between CPN-UML and Maoist candidates. In Pokhara, CPN (Unified Socialist) candidate is leading. In Kathmandu independent candidate Balen Shah is maintaining a lead with around 2000 votes.  In Birgunj, the  Janata Samajbadi candidate is taking a lead.
• Out of 11 sub-metropolitan cities, Nepali Congress is leading in four places, Maoist in two, UML two, RPP one, and independent two.
• So far, CPN-UML has won in 14 local governments, Nepali Congress 11, Maoist 9, and Unified Socialist 2
• Nepal Congress is leading in 281 places, UML 191 and Maoist in 111 and Unified Socialist 16 and Janata Samajbadi 32. Vote counting is too slow and may take several days to complete the counting. Election Commission is working to increase the number of counting centers.