Kathmandu, Nov. 28 -- New and emerging political parties preparing for the March 5 House of Representatives election have begun to worry about the 3-percent threshold required under Nepal's proportional representation system. The concern appears even stronger among newer parties, prompting several of them to adopt a strategy of contesting the election under a single election symbol.

Although the Election Commission had already closed the deadline for party registration, it later extended it until November 30. With this extension, the number of parties registering specifically to contest under a unified symbol has continued to rise.

Parties say their main motivation for adopting a single symbol is to avoid falling short of the 3-percent ...