The national convention of Democratic Lawyers’ Association Nepal (DLA-Nepal) concluded in Nawalparasi on Monday by electing a new central executive committee.

Yogendra Bahadur Adhikari has been elected as the chairman of the lawyers’ association close to Nepali Congress (NC).

Adhikari garnered 431 votes while his close rival Sitaram KC obtained 364 votes. Ram Kumar Shrestha, the third chairman contender, got only 42 votes.

The convention also elected a 24-member working committee for three years.

Suresh Kumar Poudel and Sushma Baskota were elected as senior vice-chairperson and woman vice-chairperson, Laxmi Devi Rawal as general secretary, Khadga Bahadur Chhetri as secretary, Bishnu Basyal as woman secretary and Sudha Khatiwada as treasurer.

The convention also elected chairpersons from all seven provinces.

DLA-Nepal chairman-elect Adhikari is close to NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula.

KC and Shrestha, the other two contenders for the chairman’s post, are loyal to NC senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel and NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba respectively.

The poll outcome comes as yet another blow to NC President Deuba who seems to be losing his grip on the party organisation of late.

Earlier, the Deuba faction had also lost in the elections of the trade union congress, the teachers’ union and the engineers’ association.