Kathmandu, July 21 : The run-off election for the Nepal President began here today as none of the candidates who contested in first presidential elections on Saturday could get the minimum votes required to get elected.

Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Ram Baran Yadav, an ethnic Madhesi leader who was widely expected to win Presidential poll in the 594-member Constituent Assembly, fell short of 15 votes to attain the magic figure of 298 votes.

Yadav, who was backed by the CPN-UML and the Madhesi People''s Rights Forum (MPRF), polled 12 votes more than Maoist candidate Ram Raja Prasad Singh who secured 270 votes. (ANI)