Locals at various villages of Jajarkot district are surprised and happy by the sudden disappearance of Maoist guerillas from their 'model areas'. It has been almost a month since the People's Liberation Army left. Kausi Bahadur Khadka of Dada village says, "These were the places where they used to patrol everyday but now it looks like they are gone."

The big question then is where have all the rebels gone? "We heard they first went down to the tarai and are marching east," says Amar Bahadur Singh, ex-chairman of Samal VDC . "They used to collect donations regularly from the villages in the past but now they are nowhere to be seen."

Even though the Maoist military is gone, the rebels' political activists and militia are still active in Jajarkot. The remaining militia carry 303 rifles, homemade guns, pistols and explosives. Says RPP Jajarkot district chairman Dhan Bahadur Adhikari, "We do not see them in combat dresses these days. That is why people are less scared."

Locals here celebrated Dasai with less fear in the absence of armed Maoists. The exodus is not exclusive just to Jajarkot. There are sighs of relief in Salyan and Rukum where there hasn't been any Maoist military activity. In an unprecedented move, a few guerrillas have begun to receive political training in some of the villages. The move could have something to do with the Maoists' overall strategy to carrying on military and political activities simultaneously. Even if the military personnel of the Maoists have left these districts, at least one central level leader in each district is still active. For instance, central member Maoists, Purna Bahadur Gharti, is up and about in Rukum where he used to be a teacher.