The Maoists retained their victory in Rolpa-2 and Kaski-1 -- from where Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Law Minster Dev Gurung were elected, respectively -- and snatched Kanchanpur-4 from Nepali Congress. The remaining three constituencies -- Morang-5, Morang-7 and Dhanusha-5 -- fell to Madheshi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, respectively.

The by-election outcome also proved triumphal moment for three candidates from three different parties who had suffered defeat last April: Maoist candidate Harish Thakulla, Congress's Dr Shekhar Koirala and UML's Raghubir Mahaseth.

Thakulla, who had lost to Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Koirala, defeated by MJF's Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, have won from Kanchanpur-4 and Morang-7. Mahaseth, who had lost to MJF last year, has been elected from Dhanusha-5, by defeating President Ram Baran Yadav's son, Chandra Mohan Yadav. MJF's Jairam Yadav, and Maoist's Krishna Bahadur Gurung and Santosh Bahadur Budha Magar were elected from

Morang-5, Kaski-1 and Rolpa-2, respectively.

Budha Magar polled 19,933; Thakulla 10,782 votes; Koiralia 12,071; Mahaseth 13,231; Jairam Yadav 13,811; and Krishna Bahadur Gurung 12,257, claiming victory by a slim margin of 32 votes over his Congress opponent Dipak Bahadur Gurung (12,225 votes).

Meanwhile, Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party candidate from Morang constituency-5 Umesh Giri has demanded re-election claiming that the electronic voting machines in the constituency were rigged by Madheshi Janadhikar Forum (MJF).

He has accused Minister for Foreign Affairs and MJF Chairman Upendra Yadav of predetermining the polls outcome on his party's favour. Giri claimed that the circuits and chips of the voting devices were switched on the minister's directives so that the votes cast for TMLP ended up on MJF side and vice versa. It all adds up, he said, “Why would MJF activists take out victory rally at Rani area of the constituency before the vote count started?”