Kathmandu, Dec. 6 -- A record 120 political parties have applied with the Election Commission to take part in the March elections. Among them is CPN-UML, the second largest party in the dissolved House of Representatives.

Almost all political parties, old and new, who registered at the Election Commission after the September Gen Z uprising, have committed to taking part in the elections and have been urging the government to create a conducive environment for the polls by maintaining law and order and guaranteeing security for campaigning and casting the ballot.

Among other things, the inmates who fled several prisons during the Gen Z protests and the weapons looted from security forces during the unrest are seen as a security threat fo...