Two competing panels have officially declared their candidacies for the upcoming election of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, setting the stage for a closely contested race.
The FNCCI, the apex body representing Nepal’s private sector, is set to elect a new executive committee during its 60th Annual General Meeting scheduled for April 12–13. Prominent industrialists and business leaders have aligned themselves into rival groups to vie for key leadership positions.
A panel led by FNCCI Senior Vice-President Anjan Shrestha announced its candidates on Monday. The group has nominated Shiva Prasad Ghimire for commodity vice-president and Prabal Jung Pandey for associate vice-president. Dil Sundar Shrestha and Krishna Prasad Sharma have been put forward for district and city vice-president roles.
Meanwhile, a rival panel led by Hem Raj Dhakal has already unveiled its lineup. This panel has nominated Jyotsana Shrestha for associate vice-president, Naresh Lal Shrestha for commodity vice-president, and Kalpana Gaire along with Umesh Dalmiya for district and city vice-president posts. Kamala Shrestha has been nominated for women vice-president.
Additionally, a number of candidates from Shrestha’s panel—including Raghu Nandan Maru, Rabin Puri, Araniko Rajbhandari, and others—will compete for positions in the central working committee.
The FNCCI had amended its statute in 2016 to allow the senior vice-president to automatically assume the presidency without contesting elections, a practice followed for the past eight years. However, the provision was removed last year and will come into effect after Anjan Shrestha completes his tenure as president.
FNCCI President Chandra Dhakal has called on both panels to seek consensus, emphasizing the importance of unity within the private sector.
“If we are not united, it will be difficult to make the government listen to the concerns raised by the private sector,” Dhakal said at a program in the capital on Monday.
