Dadeldhura, Jan. 28 -- The electoral contest in Dadeldhura has taken an unexpectedly open turn this time, with veteran Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, a five-time prime minister, absent from the race, ending his decades-long dominance in the district.

A total of 13 candidates, including those from the Nepali Congress, other political parties and independents, are contesting the election. Local residents say Deuba's absence has intensified competition and made the result uncertain for the first time in years.

For more than three decades, Deuba's candidacy from Dadeldhura had been almost taken for granted. Even after the government announced the elections, locals were confident that Deuba would once again be the Congress candid...