Kathmandu: Suhang Nembang of CPN-UML has emerged victorious, securing the House of Representatives seat, from Illam-2 constituency in a by-poll held on Saturday.
According to the Election Commission, Nembang won with 27,772 votes, while his closest rival, Dambar Bahadur Khadka of the Nepali Congress, received 21,942 votes.
Independent candidate Dakendra Singh Limbu, backed by various identity-based political groups in the province, clinched the third position with 11,457 votes. Milan Limbu of Rastriya Swatantra Party secured the fourth spot with 5,050 votes.
This by-poll was conducted after the passing of former Speaker and Constituent Assembly chair Subas Nembang in September last year. Suhang Nembang, the son of the late Speaker, was fielded by CPN-UML and received backing from the ruling party CPN (Maoist Centre).
Expressing gratitude, Suhang Nembang attributed his victory to the people of Ilam and his party CPN-UML. He said, “It was not possible without the opportunity given by the party and the votes of the people.”
A total of 19 candidates contested in the Ilam-2 by-poll, with 115,889 individuals eligible to vote. However, the voter turnout stood at around 69,287.
During the 2022 federal election, Subas Nembang of UML had defeated Khadka by a narrow margin of 114 votes. At that time, CPN (Maoist Centre) had supported Khadka, but the recent alliance between Maoist Centre and UML shifted the dynamics in Suhang Nembang’s favor.
The constituency has been a stronghold of UML, with Subas Nembang consistently securing victory since the 1999 general elections.
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