Kathmandu, Feb. 16 -- Over half of the political parties contesting the March 5 elections, including Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, did not unveil their manifestos within the deadline, ignoring the Election Commission's directive and the election code of conduct.

The commission had asked all the parties contesting the elections to make their manifestos public by Sunday before commencing their full-fledged campaigning on Monday. However, 37 of the 68 parties, including the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, didn't comply with the directives.

The commission issued directives in accordance with the election code of conduct, which states that political parties or candidates should begin campaigning only after unveiling their manifestos and commitme...