Nepal, Jan. 23 -- Nepal is now well and truly gearing up for the March 5 election. Just as in previous elections, the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday enforced the Election Code of Conduct. The goal is to make the election 'free, fair and transparent'. But no sooner had the candidates entered the election race, they set aside the very code they had committed to honour.

Take the nomination day. Even as the electoral watchdog bars candidates from gathering more than 25 people while filing their nominations, candidates were seen with hundreds of supporters, musical ensembles and even children. This happened when former prime minister and CPN-UML chair, KP Sharma Oli, registered his candidacy from Jhapa-5. Even the so-called alternative fo...