Kathmandu, Nov. 17 -- You can say a lot of things about Rabindra Mishra but you can't say that he's not optimistic. Doom-and-gloom is reserved for the traditional political parties, but when it comes to his own Sajha Party, Mishra is all sunshine and smiles. He has an unwavering belief that becoming the number one party in the country is Sajha Party's fait accompli.

For a party that is just two years old, that is a tall order. But Mishra, once editor-in-chief of the BBC Nepali Service before turning politician, is not one to let something as trivial as age dampen his plans. His party is currently fielding candidates for by-elections in Dang, Kaski, Bhaktapur and Dharan and his social media is replete with images of party members canvassi...