| Post: | Mayor |
| Body: | Pokhara Metropolitan City |
| Native Name: | पोखरा महानगरपालिकाका नगर प्रमुख |
| Flagsize: | 155px |
| Flagcaption: | Emblem of Pokhara |
| Insigniasize: | 180px |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of Pokhara Metropolitan City |
| Incumbent: | Dhana Raj Acharya |
| Incumbentsince: | 27 May 2022 |
| Predecessor: | Man Bahadur G.C. |
| Type: | Executive Head |
| Seat: | Office of Municipal Executive, Pokhara |
| Termlength: | Five years, renewable once |
| Constituting Instrument: | Constitution of Nepal |
| Formation: | 1959 |
| Inaugural: | Shiva Bahadur Thapa |
| Deputy: | Deputy Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City |
| Salary: | रु 43,000[1] |
| Appointer: | Electorate of Pokhara |
The mayor of Pokhara is the head of the municipal executive of Pokhara Metropolitan City. The role was first created in 1959.[2]
The current mayor is Dhana Raj Acharya who was elected in the 2022 election.[3] The position has been held by sixteen people since its creation.[4] [5]
The city of Pokhara is governed by the Pokhara Metropolitan City Council and the mayor is supported by the municipal executive which consists of the deputy mayor and ward chairs of all 33 wards of Pokhara.[6]
The mayor is elected by the residents of Pokhara Metropolitan City for a five-year period that is renewable only once. The municipal executive is formed under the chairmanship of the mayor. Local government in Nepal has authority over the local units pursuant to Schedule 8 of the Constitution of Nepal.[7] The mayor derives its power from the Local Government Operation Act, 2017.[8]
The main functions of the mayor are:
The mayor of Pokhara is also a member of the Kaski District Assembly and the senate of Pokhara University.[9] [10]
The mayor is elected though first-past-the-post voting for a period of five-years. In order to qualify as a candidate for mayor, the person must be a citizen of Nepal, must be over the age of twenty-one years, must be a voter who is registered in the electoral roll of Pokhara Metropolitan City and must not be disqualified by law.[11]
| Pradhan Pancha | Term of office | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Nagendra Bahadur Rayamajhi | 1960 | 1966 | |
| 3 | Ambar Bahadur Karki | 1966 | 1971 | |
| 4 | Rudra Bahadur Karki | 1971 | 1974 | |
| 5 | Dilip Kumar Palikhe | 1974 | 1975 | |
| 6 | Ramesh Bahadur Bhattarai | 1975 | 1976 | |
| 7 | Ganesh Sherchan | 1976 | 1981 | |
| 8 | Shree Prasad Gurung | 1981 | 1982 | |
| 9 | Uttam Bahadur Pun | 1982 | 1984 | |
| 10 | Surya Bahadur K.C. | 1984 | 1988 | |
| Mayor | Term of office | Political party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Bhola Thapa | 1992 | 1997 | Nepali Congress | |
| 12 | Krishna Bahadur Thapa | 1997 | 2001 | CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | |
| 13 | Harka Bahadur Gurung | 2003 | 2004[12] | Appointed by King Gyandendra | |
| 14 | Bhimsen Thapa | 2004 | 2007 | ||
| Mayor | Term of office | Elected | Political party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Man Bahadur G.C. | May 29, 2017[13] | May 19, 2022 | 2017 | CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) | ||
| 16 | Dhana Raj Acharya | May 27, 2022[14] | present | 2022 | CPN (Unified Socialist) | ||