Dadeldhura, Jan. 16 -- Sagar Dhakal, who emerged as the closest challenger to former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in the 2022 House of Representatives elections, has said he is preparing to contest again from Dadeldhura, this time as a Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) candidate.

Dhakal, originally from Gulmi, had contested the last parliamentary elections as an independent candidate against Deuba, who has represented Dadeldhura continuously since 1991. Deuba won the election with 25,534 votes, while Dhakal secured 13,042 votes, a result that surprised many observers.

Dhakal first came into the national spotlight when he questioned then Prime Minister Deuba on the BBC Nepali programme about the need for accountable and capable leaders...