Kathmandu, March 5 -- The number of women contesting for first-past-the-post seats in the election being held on Thursday is dismal. But women have made their presence felt in other ways: they have stepped up to lead the election management.

For the first time in Nepal, over a dozen polling stations are entirely managed by women. At polling stations in constituencies across Kathmandu Valley and a few other districts, women hold all poll management posts, from election officers to security personnel.

As many as 12 out of 15 constituencies in the Valley are led by women officers. This highlights a historic shift in how elections are managed, poll officials say.

This, however, is by design. The initiative, described by election officials ...