CPN-UML candidate Suhang Nembang has maintained a lead in Ilam-2 as he continues to widen the gap by a margin of 3,960 votes.

As of 12:05 pm on Monday, Nembang has received 11,619 while Dambar Khadka of the Nepali Congress trails behind with 7,659 votes.

Independent candidate Dakendra Singh Limbu maintains third place garnering 7,452 votes while Milan Limbu of the Rastriya Swatantra Party has managed to get 1,593 votes so far.

Meanwhile in Bajhang (A), UML’s Daman Bahadur Bhandari has taken back his lead from Abhishek Singh of the Nepali Congress. However, the two candidates are facing a tough tussle as they are separated by only nine votes. Bhandari has garnered 10,363 votes while Singh has received 10,354 votes.

Janak Bahadur Budha of the CPN (Maoist Centre) is third in the election race with 3,681 votes and Dil Bahadur Singh of the CPN (Unified Socialist) has got 2,415 votes.

The Ilam-2 House of Representatives seat has been vacant after Subas Nembang died of a heart attack in September last year. The UML leader had continuously won the constituency since the 1999 general elections.

The CPN-UML fielded Suhang, son of the former Speaker Subas Nembang, as the party’s candidate in the constituency.

Likewise, the Bajhang (A) bypoll was conducted for a seat in the Sudurpaschim Assembly which remains vacant after Prithvi Bahadur Singh, a member and provincial minister, died in a road accident in June last year.