The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has announced that it will hold its 60th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and leadership elections on May 4.
The schedule was revised after the organization’s earlier plan to hold the AGM and election on April 12–13 was postponed due to an interim order issued by a joint bench of the Patan High Court, comprising judges Khadka Bahadur KC and Deepak Khanal. The court order came in response to a petition that sought to halt the election process.
On April 5, members including the Federation of Nepal Petroleum Transport Entrepreneurs filed a writ petition against FNCCI, its Executive Committee, Membership Committee, and Election Committee, resulting in a temporary suspension of the election process.
Despite the delay, preparations for the upcoming election are underway, with two major panels contesting for leadership positions. A panel led by FNCCI Senior Vice-President Anjan Shrestha has fielded Shiva Prasad Ghimire for commodity vice-president, Prabal Jung Pandey for associate vice-president, and Dil Sundar Shrestha and Krishna Prasad Sharma for district and city vice-president roles.
Meanwhile, a rival panel led by Hem Raj Dhakal has nominated Jyotsana Shrestha for associate vice-president, Naresh Lal Shrestha for commodity vice-president, Kalpana Gaire and Umesh Dalmiya for district and city vice-president positions, and Kamala Shrestha for women vice-president.
The FNCCI had previously amended its statute in 2016 to allow the senior vice-president to automatically assume the presidency without contesting an election, a practice followed for the past eight years. However, the provision was later removed. The organization stated that the change will take effect after current Senior Vice-President Anjan Shrestha assumes the presidency and completes his tenure.
