India, March 4 -- Six months ago, Nepal's Gen Z stormed the streets and forced the government in Kathmandu to quit. The massive mobilisation built around social media, left the legacy political outfits, some of them with a record in battling the monarchy and even parliamentary forces, running for cover as the protests turned violent and targeted the ruling elite. At least 77 people died in the protests, and then Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli, was forced to resign. The interim administration, headed by former Chief Justice of Nepal Sushila Karki, dissolved the House of Representatives and promised fresh elections. On Thursday, Nepal will vote to elect a new parliament. And, its youth - 42% of the population is in the 16-40 age bracket - will hold the key. History tells us that street mobilisations are successful in forcing out governments but less so in shaping electoral outcomes in progressive ways, as the Arab Spring showed. But Bangladesh, most recently, and Sri Lanka, last year, revealed mature electorates voting for political and economic stability. In Thursday's election, over 60 political parties have fielded candidates for the 275 parliamentary seats (165 will be directly elected and 110 under the proportional representation system). Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-Kathmandu mayor, is seemingly the Gen Z face, though he is currently aligned with the Rashtriya Swatantra Party. The leadership of Nepali Congress is now with a younger generation, which may help it in the hustings. The two main Communist parties - Oli's Communist Party of Nepal and Pushpa Kamal Dahal's CPN-UML - have chosen to ride out the storm rather than opt for an overhaul of personalities and policies. Nepal's political crisis and the street anger could be traced to divided electoral outcomes - no government in Kathmandu has completed a full term since 1990, and parties have had no qualms in forging coalitions of convenience, often betraying the mandate. A clear outcome in Thursday's polls may help the country avoid that trap and engage constructively with its restive youth....