"Wish me all the best and a New Nepal," said my finance and administration officer, his backpack on. "I'm off to my village. I want to vote because I may not get another chance in life."

Nepal is poised to become a multiparty democracy. After centuries of dynastic rule, Constituent Assembly elections are scheduled for April 10 to choose new legislatures and policymakers. It really is the beginning of a New Nepal.

The elections are critical to a peace deal with former Maoist rebels that ended a bitter 10-year civil war. They will pave the way for a new constitution that could abolish the monarchy and turn Nepal into a republic.

Predictably, newspapers are bursting with election news. The TV channels are full of reactions from politicians and ordinary people. Everywhere, there is excitement and anticipation.

But the hope is tinged with fear and uncertainty.

For someone like me, from the enormous democracy of neighbouring India where even college elections are festive and frenzied, the feeling on the street is eerily restrained.

Where are the posters, banners, graffiti and non-stop loudspeaker blasts?

Is it the lull before the storm?

The authorities halted campaigning from Tuesday to ensure a smooth election. And the government has declared a five-day holiday, allowing people to return to their constituencies and take part in this historic event.

All businesses and institutions are closing for the polls. Usually, such a long holiday would be a cause for celebration. But feelings are mixed. Nepal's many expatriates are certainly on tenterhooks. Stockpiling of food and essential items has already begun.

Movement within Nepal will be highly restricted. Already, strikes and roadblocks are paralysing the highways.

Despite the deals the government has struck with every agitating group, southern Nepal is breaking down. Armed insurgents there have called for general strikes and say they'll disrupt the vote.

A few days back, it took my project staff 23 hours to reach home as roadblocks crippled their bus journey. The journey would usually take about eight hours.

"Violence and threats from groups declaring their opposition to the election have continued, contributing to insecurity and fear," reports the United Nations in Nepal.

Prachanda, head of the Maoists who gave up violence last year to join mainstream politics, is reportedly saying at every election rally that the Maoists will resume armed struggle if they're not able to run the country.

On the other side, royalists are reportedly holding clandestine meetings to try to restore the royal family to the head of state.

The future of Nepal is on a knife edge. Experts and analysts are at a loss to know what will happen.

Amid all the speculation, one thing seems certain - no party will win a majority.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation looks set to deteriorate further. Any post-election violence will cause internal displacement. Food shortages and a lack of basic necessities will deal a hard blow to an already impoverished society.

The administration is too engrossed in elections to plan ahead for the summer's inevitable heat waves and the floods that will surely follow. Nepal could easily be plunged into humanitarian crisis.

More than 100,000 election observers are swarming the country. The polls are turning out to be a costly affair. It is said that one has to pay a price for freedom. For the people of Nepal, that price is in hard currency.

For the time being, no one is talking about poverty, hunger, trafficking, exploitation, disasters, rights and insecurity - all pushing Nepal deeper into a vicious cycle of poverty.

But by next week, we'll know where the country is heading. Whatever the outcome of these historic elections, the result will surely be a New Nepal.

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