Police in Nepal say a bomb attack in the capital, Kathmandu, has wounded at least eight people, as thousands rallied to mark the beginning of campaigning in crucial elections.
Authorities say the bomb was thrown at a vehicle near the rally. The explosion occurred as thousands of supporters and leaders of mainstream political parties and former rebel Maoists were beginning to disperse.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In April, Nepal will elect a parliament that will mark its transition into a republic. The assembly will rewrite the country's constitution and decide on a new political system.
The elections are a key step in a 2006 peace process to end a decade-long communist insurgency that left 13-thousand Nepalese dead.