A number of high-profile leaders are in the fray for the first phase of federal and provincial elections being held in 32 districts on Sunday.

An interesting fight is expected in Gorkha-2 where former prime minister and Naya Shakti Party chief Baburam Bhattarai is contesting against his former comrade Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

Sindhupalchok will see another tough contest with Information Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet from the NC standing against former information minister Agni Sapkota of the Maoist Centre in constituency-1 while Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Prajatantrik Chairman Pashupati Shumsher Rana is pitted against Sher Bahadur Tamang of the Maoist Centre in constituency-2.

Former finance minister and senior Maoist leader Barshaman Pun is contesting from Rolpa against NC’s Amar Singh Pun. Dev Prasad Gurung, who had won first CA polls from Kaski-1, is contesting from Lamjung against NC’s Dil Bahadur Gharti.

In Nuwakot-1 multiple time finance minister and NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat is contesting against Maoist Centre’s Hit Bahadur Tamang while another Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC is in race against UML’s Narayan Prasad Khatiwada in Nuwakot-2. Former home minister Shakti Basnet is in the fray against NC’s Rajib Bikram Shah in Jajarkot. UML secretary Yogesh Bhattarai is fighting NC’s Keshav Dahal in Taplejung.