After having made their election manifestos public, political parties and candidates contesting the November 20 federal and provincial election began intensive campaigning from Thursday, as allowed by the Election Commission (EC). A new phase in the election campaign has thus begun with the parties and candidates engaging in mass assemblies, corner meetings and rallies, 17 days before the people go to the polls. Until Wednesday, the contestants were only allowed to campaign from door-to-door in their constituencies by involving no more than 25 participants. Quite unlike in the past, the period for mass campaigning was curtailed so as to minimise the election expenses and give everyone - big and small parties as well as independents - a level playing field and make the polls free and fair. About 18.6 million voters will cast their ballot to elect 275 members - 165 under the first past the post (FPTP) category and the remaining 110 under the proportional representation system - to the House of Representatives.

Likewise, 330 members will be elected to the provincial assemblies through the mixed system.

This is the second time that the federal and provincial elections are being held as provisioned in the new constitution promulgated in 2015.

A major worry of the EC is whether the parties and the contestants will abide by the code of conduct issued by the body. That 71 individuals and institutions have already been issued show cause notices by the EC for allegedly violating the poll code speaks volumes about the accountability of the parties and contestants. They include one-time ministers like Yogesh Bhattarai of the CPN-UML and Bina Magar of the CPN-Maoist Centre. The EC can impose a fine or even annul the candidacies of the poll code violators, which, however, is unlikely at this stage. It remains to be seen what action the EC will take on the show cause notices by November 11. The Prime Minister and federal and provincial ministers are also allowed to campaign from any part of the country from Thursday, but the EC must keep a tab on them to see that government resources are not misused, something they have been known to do indiscriminately.

While the election will be a keen fight between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML, the entry of young independents and rebel candidates in large numbers this time poses a threat to many a tried and tired leader, especially after the victory of 31-year-old Balen Shah in the mayoral race in Kathmandu. Of the 359 contestants vying for the 15 constituencies in the Kathmandu Valley for the federal election, for example, as many as 159 are independents. A 'No, Not Again' campaign on the social media to dissuade people from voting for the former prime ministers has also gained momentum, despite efforts by the EC to crack down upon it. It's a do or die battle for many of these leaders who are in their seventies and want to make it to the top executive post again, including Sher Bahadur Deuba, 76, who wishes to return to power for the sixth time. The EC must swing into immediate tough action and not limit itself to issuing soft statements should any party or candidate, no matter how powerful, resorts to dishonest conduct out of desperation.

Air connectivity

Direct air connectivity is a must to attract more tourists to Nepal from abroad. In this regard, the government has given its approval to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) for a two-way flight agreement with the United States and Switzerland.

It is a welcome step from which the country can gain direct economic benefit. After the US and Switzerland showed interest in two-way direct flights, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, in coordination with CAAN, had taken necessary initiatives and submitted a proposal to the Cabinet. A memorandum of understanding for air connectivity was signed between Switzerland and Nepal in October.

Currently, several international airlinesoperate Nepal-US flight services through various transits. At the moment Nepal has two-way direct flight agreement with 40 countries. The US and Switzerland are considered to be potential sources of high-end tourists.

Once direct air connectivity is established, Nepal should expedite its promotional activities there to attract more visitors to the country and also help enhance bilateral trade.CAAN must now exchange a series of letters and dialogues with these two nations for a final agreement.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 4, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.