Prime Minister Girijababu wanted the polls to be held on Monday, 26 November. Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Rajji thought Friday the 23rd would be more appropriate. Ignoring both suggestions, the cabinet picked Thursday, 22 November.

Superstition may have had something to do with the date. Thursday is dedicated to Brihaspati, a sage worshipped for his sagacity towards rebels. What better day to let Maoists test their strength in free and fair elections?

The hue and cry over YCL excesses has been largely justified. But it requires more than media rebukes to counter the Red Guard menace in the coming months. The district administration needs to be energised and the morale of Nepal Police boosted. This may necessitate a change of leadership in the Home Ministry right away. Creating faith in the machinery of the government is the best antidote to Maoist vigilante prosecution and kangaroo justice.

Engaging rebellious groups in meaningful negotiations, through intermediaries if necessary, needs top priority of the political leadership. It will be difficult to conduct peaceful polls without at least the passive acquiescence of armed groups creating mayhem in the madhes.

It's getting late for the political parties to launch a full-scale political mobilisation. Political training for party officials, voter education and consensus-building are all fine and dandy but there is no substitute to a door-to-door electoral campaign. The monsoon isn't the best time to venture into Nepali countryside, but urban-dwellers have no rice planting to do. We can't put this forcefully enough: parties have to go back to their voters, ask their forgiveness, promise to mend their ways, and show that they are serious about building the future.

The Nepali people have been duped so often in the past that they will need some convincing to accept that the November polls are for real. While the election juggernaut moves full speed ahead, a perceptible improvement in service delivery is necessary. It shouldn't be too difficult to augment water supply, reduce blackout hours, repair roads, or crackdown on crime. Reducing the petroleum shortage is urgent to restore faith in the system.

In the countryside, the people don't expect change overnight. But they want to see a sign that there is a change in attitude among Kathmandu-based politicos. Mainstreaming the Maoists and addressing the concerns of the marginalised is essential, as is law and order.

But what the people need the most is at least the perception that the elections will mean an improvement in their lives and the lives of their children.

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