Business titans campaign for FNCCI leadership

Kathmandu, Mar. 5

Anjan Shrestha, Ram Chandra Sanghai and Umesh Lal Shrestha are contesting the elections vying for the post of the Senior Vice President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), the largest private sector organisation in the country.

Elections to elect the new Senior VP, vice presidents and other office-bearers as well as working committee members would be held on 12 April in Kathmandu on the occasion of the 57^th Annual General Meeting that would kick off a day prior.

Anjan is the executive Director of Laxmi Group, a business house that runs manufacturing, agro-based, trading and service industries. He is the incumbent VP (Commodity) at the FNCCI and had been the President of NADA Automobiles Dealers Association.  

Likewise, Ram Chandra leads various companies under Triveni Group that runs more than 40 industries and trading houses across various sectors. He currently holds the VP (Associates) at the FNCCI.

Umesh Lal is the managing director at the Quest Pharmaceuticals and had already served as the VP (Commodity) during Bhawani Rana's leadership at the FNCCI. He had also served as the President of the Association of Pharmaceuticals Producers of Nepal (APPON).

These three businessmen have announced to contest the election by forming a separate panel each. Umesh Lal panel includes Dinesh Shrestha as VP (District and Municipal), Bharat Raj Acharya as VP (Associate) and Hemraj Dhakal as VP (Commodity). Dinesh is the current VP of industry (district and municipal) at the FNCCI while Bharat and Hemraj are the working committee members.

However, Acharya has garnered the support from the Anjan panel as well. Other two VPs from Anjan panel include Arun Raj Sumargi and Manish Lal Pradhan for the VPs of District and Municipal and Commodity. Both the candidates are the working committee members of the FNCCI.

Similarly, Ram Chandra's panel is comprised of Sur Krishna Baidya, Jyotsna Shrestha and Sukunta Lal Hirachan as the candidates for VPs District and Municipal, Associate and Commodity. Hirachan is the current Treasurer of the FNCCI while Baidya and Shrestha are the working committee members.

Popular faces like Pashupati Dev Pandey, Desh Bandhu Basnet, Ambika Prasad Paudel, Prabal Jung Pandey, Nawaraj Kunwar and Shiva Ghimire are also in the election fray vying for the post of central committee members of the business body.

The Central Committee of the FNCCI comprises 78 members including the office-bearers and members. Of them, 64 are elected by the AGM while five are nominated by the elected committee, seven provincial committee presidents will be officiating members while immediate past president will also be the part of the committee.

AGM representatives come from district and municipal CCIs, commodity associations, associates and binational chambers. Three each come from district and municipal CCIs, two each from commodity associations and one each from binational chambers and associates.

Talking about his candidacy, after nomination on Tuesday, Anjan said that his agenda include promotion of domestic products, development of industrial sector in the country, promotion of small and medium scale enterprises, and raising the prestige of private sector businesspeople.

Likewise, Shanghai said that business and policy reforms, FNCCI's internal reforms and support to economic development, as well as the promotion of SMEs and startups are among his major priorities.

According to Umesh Lal, his agenda include the facilitation in credit at lower interest rates, and development of industrial sector especially SMEs.

Incumbent Senior VP, Chandra Prasad Dhakal, will succeed Shekhar Golchha as the president after the AGM. As per the FNCCI statute, senior VP automatically becomes the president after three years. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 April 2023.