TAPLEJUNG: The major contest in Taplejung’s parliamentary election is between the CPN-UML’s youth leader Yogesh Bhattarai and Nepali Congress’ Keshav Prasad Dahal. From provincial Constituency 1 ‘ka’, Bal Bahadur Samsuhang from UML is contesting against NC’s Lila Devi Bokim, and Constituency 1 ‘kha’ will witness a battle between UML’s Tanka Angbuhang and NC’s Dipendra Sendang.

While Bhattarai is a promising youth leader of the UML who lost both the Constituent Assembly elections from Kathmandu in 2008 and 2013, Dahal is a local NC leader who lost to UML’s Pyakurel in the recently held local elections for Fungling Municipality.

In the 2013 CA election, UML had won both the constituencies of the district, which comprised around 78,000 registered voters.