MYANMAR’S ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi is preparing for national polls on Nov 8. But this time around, the election is taking place amid talk of a huge China-backed operation to subvert the vote.

The NLD’s main rival, the army-backed USDP, was overshadowed after an outfit called the UDP or “Rose Party” sprang forward to field 1,130 candidates – second only to Suu Kyi’s party.