The top post in the apex body of the country’s private sector has remained vacant since March 18 when the then president Pradeep Jung Pandey was jailed in a three-decade-old corruption case. The FNCCI is slated to elect a new chief on July 3.

While Murarka is set to file his nomination papers at the FNCCI headquarters at Teku on Saturday at 10:30 am, Rana has planned to do so at 1 pm. Though Rajkarnikar is said to have not fixed a time, sources said he would certainly file his candidacy.

In a statement, the Advertising Association of Nepal (AAN) urged the stakeholders to choose Rajkarnikar as unanimous president.

“At a time when even the political parties have sidelined differences and there is a need for unity at FNCCI, choosing a unanimous president will be the best option,” read the AAN statement.

The Post’s repeated attempts to contact Rajkarnikar did not materialise.

Murarka is the senior vice-president of the FNCCI. He has been leading the institution as the officiating president after Pandey was removed from the top post. Rajkarnikar lost to Pandey in the presidential election while Rana lost to Murarka in the voting for the post of senior vice-president.

“I have already announced my candidature for the post,” Murarka said. “The FNCCI needs a dynamic leadership during this fragile situation, and I feel I can fulfil the requirement which is why I am up for the election.”

Similarly, Rana said that her candidature was for strengthening the private sector apex body which had seen a lot of ups and downs in the recent past.

“The FNCCI is an institution which holds a parallel position with the government in terms of economic issues. Having completed 10 years in this institution along with four successful tenures in the FNCCI executive committee, I feel I can lead the institution in a dynamic order,” Rana said.

If Rana wins the election, she will be creating history as the first female president of the six-decade-old institution.

Even though the likelihood of an election being held has increased significantly, the contenders as well as past presidents are still optimistic about a consensus candidate.

Seven of the nine past presidents—Mahesh Lal Pradhan, Padma Jyoti, Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, Rabi Bhakta Shrestha, Chandi Raj Dhakal, Kush Kumar Joshi and Suraj Vaidya—had organised a press meet

in Kathmandu last week, urging the FNCCI to choose a president unanimously.

They had also made it clear they were not eyeing the top FNCCI post. Ananda Raj Mulmi and Binod Bahadur Shrestha who were not present at the press meet had expressed solidarity by signing a joint statement.

Former president Ravi Bhakta Shrestha said history could be repeated and that the past presidents were still hopeful. “Filing the nomination papers is a part as tomorrow is the last day. We are still hopeful,” Shrestha said.

He had bowed out of the race 14 years ago after a loose agreement was reached that his rival Pradeep Kumar Shrestha would become the president first and he would replace him in the next election. Former presidents are lobbying for a similar arrangement this time too.

Since there are three contenders this time, the question remains whether the same model can be followed. According to a credible FNCCI source, Murarka will not agree to stepping aside for Rana as she had lost the election to him previously.

Likewise, Rana will not agree to having Rajkarnikar as the consensus candidate as he too had lost the last election, and Rajkarnikar does not want Murarka, which is why the chances of a consensus seem slim.

In the last election, Rana had contested from Pandey’s panel, while Rajkarnikar and Murarka were in the same panel.

“I am still for consensus if it can be reached. However, if there is an election, I won’t back off,” Murarka said. Likewise, Rana said she was okay for a consensus candidate.

“I am not against consensus. But the consensus has to happen for the sake of the institution and not for any individual,” Rana said, adding that since elections were a democratic process, there was no harm in going for voting to choose a capable leadership.

According to Bidur Chandra Lamichhane, assistant director at the FNCCI, the secretariat will open at 10 am on Saturday and close at 5 pm. “Since it is the last day for filing nomination papers, we will open tomorrow,” he said. The FNCCI secretariat usually remains closed on Saturday as it is the weekend.