CPN-UML Secretary Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal Defeated in Tehrathum Polls; Nepali Congress Candidate Wins

Biratnagar. CPN-UML Secretary Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, who contested the House of Representatives election held on Falgun 21 in Tehrathum, has been defeated for the second time. He was defeated by Nepali Congress candidate Santosh Subba.

Congress's Subba won by securing 11,561 votes, while Dhakal received only 10,682 votes. Subba defeated Dhakal by a margin of 879 votes. In Tehrathum, Surendra Karki, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) candidate, secured the third position with 7,737 votes. Furthermore, Subindra Kumar Limbu from the Shram Sanskriti Party led by Hark Sampang also garnered 5,200 votes.

In past elections, CPN-UML used to be powerful in the district, with Congress remaining in contention. However, this time, just like nationwide, the vote splitting by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the Shram Sanskriti Party caused Dhakal's defeat while Subba emerged victorious.

Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal had returned to his home district of Tehrathum this time with the aim of making a political comeback. The 64-year-old Dhakal, who became a proportional representative in the Second Constituent Assembly in 2070 BS and was elected from Morang-3 in the 2074 BS election, serving as a minister, was defeated by Congress's Dr. Sunil Sharma by a wide margin of over 22,000 votes in the 2079 BS election in Morang-3.

Dhakal, from Okhre, Chhathar Rural Municipality-6, contested a direct election from his home district for the first time. Allegations were made against Dhakal, who was the Health Minister during the COVID-19 period, regarding corruption in the procurement of health supplies (Omni scandal), and that he sought a safe constituency because he was facing defeat.

In the Tehrathum electoral field, the Nepali Congress fielded Subba. Congress candidate Subba was defeated by CPN-UML's Kishor Chandra Dulal by a margin of 208 votes in the 2079 BS Provincial Assembly election for Tehrathum 'A'. In the 2079 BS House of Representatives election in this district, Sita Gurung, the candidate from the alliance of Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre), was victorious.

• Who is Santosh Subba?

Santosh Subba, elected as the Member of Parliament from Tehrathum district for the Nepali Congress, has a political journey spanning nearly three decades. Subba, who stepped into politics by taking active membership in the Nepali Congress in 2052 BS, also played an active role in the social sector during his initial phase.

Santosh Subba's political stature began to rise further after the Jana Andolan (People's Movement) of 2062/63 BS. He served two terms leading the Nepal Tarun Dal in Tehrathum district. After leading the Tarun Dal, he entered mainstream party politics and became the elected treasurer of Nepali Congress Tehrathum.

Due to his organizational skills and activism, he was elected as the District Secretary of the party in the 13th General Convention. Subba, who has a strong hold at the district level, became a Central General Convention Representative in the 14th General Convention of the Congress. Although defeated in the Provincial Assembly in the 2079 BS election, Subba has now secured a seat in the Federal Parliament by winning the House of Representatives election at a time when Congress is facing defeat across the country.

Subba, who values education alongside politics, has attained a Master's degree. Having been deeply involved in the district's organizational politics for a long time, Subba is currently active in Parliament as a people-endorsed representative after being elected to the House of Representatives from Tehrathum.