KATHMANDU: Mayor of Birgunj Metropolitan City Vijay Kumar Sarabgi has joined the main opposition party CPN-UML.

UML Chair KP Oli inducted Mayor Sarabgi into the party at a program organized in Birgunj on Saturday.

Sarabgi was elected as the mayor from the then Federal Socialist Forum in the 2017 local elections and was of late a leader of Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) before defecting to the UML today.

Entering the UML, he said that the JSP had not been able to retain good leaders.

“There are reasons for me leaving the JSP. Everyone knows that, the general public knows that JSP could not retain a good man,” he said.

Mayor Saravgi remarked that JSP was still pursing a racist and sectarian politics.

“Even now, the politics of racism is going on. One cannot become a national party by politicizing castes. UML can be a national party,” he said ahead.

Mayor Sarabgi joined the UML despite preparations to join the Nepali Congress.

He also revealed that he joined the UML after former minister Moti Dugad set up his meeting with UML Chair Oli.