Kathmandu, March 21 -- Not long ago, public events attended by Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli featured placards that read: "I Love You, KP Ba [father figure]." But, times have changed.

At the final match of the KP Oli Cup football, organised by an affiliate organisation of the CPN-UML, at Dasharath Stadium in the first week of March, slogans rang out against him, right in his presence. It was a telling moment.

In recent months, public anger against the prime minister appears to be growing, which observers see as signs of his waning popularity. As Oli's influence appears to be waning, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari is making her presence felt through frequent district visits and meetings with local politicians. B...