Tilak Rai Congress Harka Raj Rai Independent Municipal election for Dharan took place on 13 May 2022, with all 102 positions up for election across 20 wards.

An indirect election will also be held to elect five female members and an additional three female members from the Dalit and minority community to the municipal executive.

[3][4] Independent candidate Harka Raj Rai was elected as the mayor of the sub-metropolitan city.

The sub-metropolitan was created in 2014 by incorporating neighboring village development committees into Dharan municipality.

[7] In the previous election, Tara Subba from the CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) was elected as the mayor but after he died on 18 July 2018, Tilak Rai from the Nepali Congress was elected as mayor in a by-election in 2019.