CPN-UML candidate Daman Bhandari has taken a slender nine-vote lead in the by-election for the provincial assembly constituency of Bajhang 1 (a) for the first time
Bhandari has secured 9,889 votes out of the 26,218 valid votes to regain lead over Nepali Congress (NC) candidate Abhishek Singh. Singh has received 9,880.
Janak Budha of CPN (Maoist Center) is third with 3,663 votes while Dil Bahadur Singh of CPN (Unified Socialist) is fourth with 2,405 votes.
A total of 30,328 votes were cast in the by-election held in Bajhang 1 (a) on Saturday.
Prithvi Bahadur Singh of Nepali Congress was elected to the Far West Provincial Assembly from the constituency in November 2022 securing 17,112 votes. Aphilal Okheda of UML received 13,336 votes then.
The constituency has been vacant since Singh died in a vehicle accident on June 20 last year.