Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is one of the most talked-about leaders in Nepali politics. Bhattarai, who was one of the chief architects of the Maoist insurgency, recently quit the party to establish Naya Shakti Nepal Party. He was part of the Left Alliance when its leaders announced that new formation but later pulled out to join the Nepali Congress' Democratic Alliance.

His main contender this time is Maoist Centre's Narayan Kaji Shrestha.