Dadeldhura, Feb. 28 -- Matelagaun of Ganyapdhura-1 in Dadeldhura, the birthplace of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, would normally come alive with political activity on the eve of an election. This time, however, the mood seems markedly subdued.

On Friday, the Deuba families of the former prime minister's hometown were engaged not in campaign preparations but in constructing a temple dedicated to their ancestral deity near a ravine below the settlement. The contrast with previous elections was striking.

For more than three decades, elections in Dadeldhura resembled a festival for Nepali Congress supporters. Villagers recall campaigning enthusiastically for months, travelling from house to house, urging voters to support Deuba,...