The mid-term elections, which were scheduled to be held on November 27, 2002, were postponed to November 29. The Nepali Congress was embroiled in a bitter internal conflict. In more than 50 constituencies, the official candidates of the Congress were facing rebels from their own party rather than the opposition.

The last assembly elections were almost underway. The Congress was campaigning defensively to face internal conflicts and attacks from the opposition, including the UML. There was a wave of action against rebel candidates in the Congress. The Congress had raised issues such as the work it had done in the three years it was in power, the struggle for democracy from 2007 to 2046, and the Communist Party's misleading of voters by making unnecessary promises. The Congress had launched its campaign by portraying itself as a democratic party. The UML had made the Congress's pro-India stance and its involvement in corruption while in power its main agenda. The UML had put forward the slogan of people's livelihood and had opposed Girija Prasad Koirala's style of work as a nationwide campaign. To raise the issue of internal conflicts in the Congress to the masses, the UML had launched a campaign to play an audio cassette of a speech given by Ganeshman Singh, commander of the 2046 movement. Ganeshman had called for defeating the 'corrupt and pro-Girija Prasad Congress'. He supported some rebel candidates. The Congress was also the target of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the United Janamorcha, and other small communist parties, Sadbhavana. Sadbhavana had made the issue of the Terai/Madhesh region its main agenda.

Four days before the voting, the Congress and the UML were holding meetings in major cities of the country and promoting their election agenda. Even then, criticism of each other was given priority over ideology. But just as now, words that are trivial, uncivilized, and unacceptable to society are used against parties and individuals in public forums or media, such abuse was rare at that time. There were no media outlets like the internet, social media, mobile phones, and FF radio. Even 'landline' telephones were only available here and there. At that time, the media outlets were newspapers, Radio Nepal, and Nepal Television. Since the mature and sensible leaders who had participated in the 2046 movement since the Rana era through the Panchayat were active, abusive words were rarely used.

Four days before the voting, on 25 Kartik 2051, the Congress and the UML held large election rallies in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar and other places. Addressing the rally in Kathmandu, Congress President Krishna Prasad Bhattarai talked about the struggle of the Congress for democracy. He said that the communists had promised to give gold and land to the voters. He also claimed that he was defeated in the election because of that promise. He was defeated by the then UML General Secretary Madan Bhandari in Kathmandu-1 in the 2048 BS election and Bhandari's wife Vidya in the 2050 Magh by-election.

At an election rally held in Pokhara, UML President Manmohan Adhikari said that the mid-term elections were a conspiracy. He had accused the Congress of being a pro-India party. He claimed that 'Girija out, UML in' would be the election. Similarly, speaking at an election rally held at Shahid Maidan in Biratnagar on the same day, the then UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal had announced that the Congress would expose the corruption committed by the party while in power. He also claimed that action would be taken against the corrupt after the UML government was formed.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad, while addressing an election rally held in Madhumalla, Morang on the same day, had claimed that the mid-term elections had to be held because the communists had created unrest through terror and anarchy in the past three years.

While going to a general meeting at the former Itahara Rural Development Committee, where the late Madan Bhandari had his private house, UML cadres had shown black flags and made a fuss, and Girija Prasad had said that the black flags could not stop him.

There was talk during the election that Ganeshman was going to defeat the Congress. Especially after the UML campaigned on this, Ganeshman refuted it and said, ‘I did not say defeat the Congress, I said defeat some corrupt Congress.’ Ganeshman, who had left the Congress, had said in a brief interview with Kantipur on 25 Kartik 2051 that voting for the communists was like signing a death warrant. In Kathmandu, there was talk that Ganeshman supported UML candidate Padmaratna Tuladhar. UML benefited from his criticism of the Congress leadership. UML leaders had cited Ganeshman to convey the mistakes of the Congress to the voters.

The situation arising from the internal strife in the Congress led to the mid-term elections, Ganeshman left the Congress, and the mid-term elections were being held against the backdrop of rebel candidates across the country against the official Congress candidate. The Kantipur Daily published the news prepared by journalists Taranath Dahal, Shankar Kharel, Indra Kafle and correspondents from various districts, covering the agendas put forward by the parties in the election, the speeches made by the leaders, and the election activities across the country, under the headline ‘Countrywide wave in favor of the Congress, determination that no one other than the NC can form the government, UML will be friends with everyone based on Panchasheel, I have not called for voting for the UML’ on the same day on 26 Kartik 2051.