KATHMANDU, Feb. 6 -- Twenty-five people are in the fray to become the chairman of Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA). High-profile individuals as well as controversial figures from Bhupendra Bhandari, the advisor to Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma, to Dolindra Prasad Sharma, the former general manager of Sajha Publications, have applied for the post of chairman of the NTA.

After failing to withstand the pressure of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma, the Chairman of the NTA, Purushottam Khanal, resigned on January 9 with seven months left in his tenure. After his resignation, the ministry's recommendation committee led by Commun...