Raghvendra Narayan Singh (left) collects his winning certificate at the SDM’s office on Wednesday. Picture by Ajit Kumar Verma

Raghvendra Narayan Singh, the sitting councillor of ward number 20 of Motihari Nagar Parishad, was elected unopposed on the last day of withdrawal of nomination for the civic body election scheduled on May 17.

Sub-divisional magistrate Sadar Radha Kant declared Singh elected as the councillor of ward number 20 for the second term in the absence of any rival in the fray.

Kant also issued him a certificate to that effect at his official chamber late on Wednesday evening.

“The administration had no option but to issue a certificate in his favour as the process of filing and withdrawal of papers ended on Wednesday evening,” said a senior district administration official.

Raghvendra (39) was elected to the Nagar Parishad as councillor for the first time in 2007.

Sources said Singh’s grandfather and father dedicated their lives to social service and this helped him a lot to clinch the councillor’s post for the second consecutive term.

Raghvendra’s grandfather, the late Kapildeo Narayan Singh, was the first member of the legislative council from Champaran after Independence. The councillor’s father, Lakshmeshwar Narayan Singh, was the mukhiya of Bakhri panchayat under Patahi block of the district for four decades till 2006.

“Soon after the election was notified, the residents of my ward, including the ‘rivals’ who had been earlier opposing me, resolved not to field a single candidate in the poll to elect me unopposed. They want the development pace, even at the grassroots-level under the Nitish Kumar government, to continue,” Raghvendra said.

Manoj Kumar Gupta, who was the nearest rival of Raghvendra in the 2007 elections, has switched sides this time and is vouching for Raghvendra for his people-friendly approach.

“We find our ward the best in the town, where the councillor is alert regarding proper distribution of foodgrain to families under below poverty line and above poverty line. He also executes the distribution of Antyodaya foodgrain and kerosene among the needy. The councillor takes proper health and hygiene measures for the ward,” Gupta said.