Voting for the Free Students’ Union (FSU) elections is underway on Tuesday at Tribhuvan University’s constituent and affiliated campuses nationwide. However, several campuses have cancelled elections due to padlocking and internal disputes.

At Ratna Rajyalaxmi Campus in Kathmandu, the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) padlocked the premises at midnight on Monday, halting the election. Amrit Science College in Lainchaur faced a similar situation after the Nepal National Independent Students’ Union–Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) locked the campus. The election at the University Campus in Kirtipur has been cancelled following a padlock by the Nepal Students’ Union (NSU).

Internal disputes within NSU also led to election cancellations at Padmakanya Multiple Campus in Bagbazar. Shanker Dev Campus, Nepal Law Campus, and Bishwabhasa Campus in Exhibition Road have also been affected by internal conflicts. Additionally, voting has not taken place at Saraswati Campus in Thamel and Public Youth Campus in Chhetrapati.

Nepal has not seen nationwide college elections for a decade and a half, with the last such elections held in 2009. Since 2017, Tribhuvan University has adopted a mixed electoral system, equally dividing seats between proportional representation and the first-past-the-post system. Only students under 28 can vote. The biennial elections were last held in 2023, but many colleges failed to elect their leadership due to disputes among student unions.

Under the mixed electoral system, the president, secretary, treasurer, and 50 percent of members are elected directly, while the vice president, joint secretary, and the remaining 50 percent of members are chosen through proportional representation.

With thousands of students participating, the FSU elections serve as a test of political parties’ influence. Major parties have deployed central committee leaders to secure victories for their student wings.

The first FSU elections were held at TU in 1962 and were conducted annually until 1974 when the Panchayat regime imposed a ban. Elections resumed after the 1980 referendum and were held biennially. With few exceptions, annual elections continued until 2009.