Kathmandu, Jan. 30 -- changing political landscape, the march towards inclusive democracy has taken a historic turn. For decades, sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities, despite constitutional recognition, have largely stayed on the periphery of formal politics.

This election cycle, however, marks a shift, as a significant number of candidates are contesting the March 5 elections through the newly formed Samabesi Samajbadi Party (SSP), Pragatisheel Loktrantik Party (PLP), and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). A total of 20 candidates are in the fray across the three parties under the proportional representation and first-past-the-post systems combined.

Their entry challenges a longstanding pattern of political exclusion and raises a...