CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has assured of elevating Nepalgunj to a metropolitan city.

He said so while addressing an election assembly for the second phase local polls organised at Tribhuvan Chok in Nepalgunj on Thursday.

During the programme, he said that Nepalgunj has lost its central leader after the demise of former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala.

“Nepalgunj folks think that their guardian is not in the centre,” he said, adding, “I am like your guardian. I will make Nepalgunj a metropolitan city.”

“I will try to make Nepalgunj a hub for education, health and tourism,” he added.

Though Nepalgunj is the western gate of Tarai, it lags far behind than other places of the country in terms of development, he said.

The former Prime Minister claimed that he had reduced load-shedding hours in Nepalgunj during his government.