Close Contests and Changing Faces: Highlights from Nepal’s 2079 House of Representatives Election

The 2079 House of Representatives election in Nepal saw several constituencies decided by razor-thin margins, and many previous competitors are either not contesting or facing new challengers in the upcoming polls.

Narrow Victories Then, New Contenders Now

• Kathmandu-1: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) candidate Ravindra Mishra lost to Nepali Congress’s Prakash Man Singh by just 125 votes, with Singh receiving 7,143 votes to Mishra’s 7,018. Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswapa) candidate Pukar Bam got 4,115 votes, which some believed reduced Mishra’s margin, making Singh’s victory easier. This time, Singh is not contesting, Mishra is back in the race, and Bam has moved to constituency 4.

  
  

• Panchthar-1: UML’s Basanta Kumar Nembang narrowly defeated Congress’s Bishmaraj Angdembe by 46 votes (32,135 vs. 32,089). Neither is contesting now; Angdembe is on the proportional representation list.

• Taplejung-1: UML’s Yogesh Bhattarai won against Maoist Center’s Khel Prasad Budhakshetri by 208 votes. Bhattarai is not contesting this time, and UML has fielded Kshitij Thebel, while Budhakshetri runs under the Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

  
  

• Ilam-2: UML’s Subash Nembang narrowly defeated Congress’s Dambar Bahadur Khadka by 114 votes. After Nembang’s demise, his son Suhang Nembang won the by-election and is contesting again, while Congress fields Bhesraj Acharya.

• Bardiya-2: Independent Lalbir Chaudhary won by only 136 votes against Maoist Center’s Suresh Panth, but Chaudhary is not contesting now.

• Morang-1: Congress’s Digbahadur Limbu defeated UML’s Ghanshyam Khatiwada by 430 votes. Limbu is not contesting, replaced by Khadga Bahadur Phago.

• Sunsari-1: Ashok Kumar Rai won by 453 votes against Rastriya Swatantra Party candidate Goma Tamang. Rai is not contesting, while Surya Gurung represents Janta Samajwadi Party (JSP).

• Siraha-2: JSP’s Rajkishor Yadav defeated Congress’s former Deputy Speaker Chitralekha Yadav by 1,150 votes. Both parties are fielding different candidates this time.

• Other Close Contests:

  • Dhanusha-2: Congress’s Ramkrishna Yadav won by 157 votes.

  • Dailekh-2: Congress’s Dikpal Kumar Shahi defeated UML’s Laxmi Prasad Pokharel by 167 votes; both are contesting again.

  • Bardiya-2, Parsa-3, Dolakha-1, Kathmandu-9, Bhaktapur-2, Kapilvastu-2, Bajhang-1, Bajhang-1 – similarly, narrow victories with new lineups this time.

Key Takeaways

• Many previous tight races saw less than 500 votes separating winners and runners-up.

• Several previous competitors are not contesting, while others face new challengers.

• Upcoming elections are expected to be highly competitive, with voters’ decisions likely to influence the results in constituencies with historically narrow margins.

This evolving political landscape highlights how small vote differences can change outcomes, and how party strategies have shifted since the last election.