Nepal, May 13 -- On the eve of the general elections, I had written that it was fortuitous for the country that the Balendra Shah-KP Sharma Oli contest in Jhapa meant one of them was sure to lose. Between Shah and Oli, I noted that there was not much to choose, with both suffering from serious cases of hubris, a propensity for populism, a distaste for criticism, etc. The unfortunate corollary to my smug observation was that one of the two would indeed get elected. And so, here we are living under the prime ministership of Balendra Shah, and not even two months in, Nepalis are slowly being gripped by buyer's remorse.

Everything seems to be happening on the fly. The haste with which the arrests of former prime minister Oli and ex-home mini...