Nepal, Feb. 6 -- As the nation braces for elections, competition for voters' attention is intensifying and, unsurprisingly, the cacophony generated by thousands of prospective legislators is growing louder by the day.

For many people, it may be tempting to tune out and passively follow the electoral noise without asking deeper questions. This would be a serious mistake. In a liberal and competitive electoral system like Nepal's, blank "cheques" should never be handed to politicians-whether they are aspiring candidates or seasoned veterans of the political arena.

To be fair to voters, understanding what political parties vying for power intend to achieve if elected is a daunting challenge. Despite waves of social media posts by candidate...