Money
High-stakes in FNCCI senior veep election
The competition for the post of senior vice-president at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has heated up with eminent business personalities openly taking sides to ensure victory for their candidate.The competition for the post of senior vice-president at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has heated up with eminent business personalities openly taking sides to ensure victory for their candidate.
Shekhar Golchha and Kishore Pradhan are the contenders in the senior vice-presidential race at the country’s largest private sector umbrella body.
The senior vice-presidential race is a high-stakes affair as the winner will automatically become the next president of the FNCCI after three years.
While former FNCCI presidents Suraj Vaidya and Kush Kumar Joshi are supporting Pradhan, Chandi Raj Dhakal is lobbying on behalf of Golchha.
Vaidya, who is openly taking Pradhan’s side, said he was the right candidate for the post of senior vice-president at the FNCCI. “I’m not satisfied with what the apex body has done in the last couple of years,” said Vaidya. “I am supporting Pradhan to make the FNCCI vibrant.”
Similarly, Dhakal expressed support for Golchha and said he was a mix of youth and experience, the right kind of personality to lead the private sector’s apex body in the future. “I have experience of working closely with him,” said Dhakal. “He did a tremendous job in improving labour relations in Nepali industry.”
The FNCCI’s special general meeting held in October 2016 decided that the senior vice-president would be promoted to president without having to fight elections. This is the reason why all eyes are on the election for the post of senior vice-president at the FNCCI which is being held on April 10.
Bhawani Rana, the current senior vice-president of the FNCCI, will become its next president in mid-April. The candidate who wins the senior vice-presidential election this time will secure the top post of the FNCCI after the end of Rana’s tenure.
Golchha’s panel which includes Dinesh Shrestha, Chandra Prasad Dhakal and Umesh Lal Pradhan competing for the three vice-presidential posts filed their candidacies on Sunday. The vice-presidential hopefuls as seeking election as representatives of district chambers, associates group and commodities association.
Pradhan has endorsed Dhakal as a common candidate for the post of vice-president of the associates group, which means he has got a unanimous vote.
Dinesh Shrestha and Umesh Lal Pradhan will be competing with Pramod Shrestha and Shanker Pandey of Pradhan’s panel who filed their candidacies on Monday for the two vice-presidential posts representing district chambers and commodities association.
Meanwhile, Kamal Shrestha and Bharat Thapa from Golchha’s panel have been elected as members of the executive committee from Provinces 3 and 5 respectively.