Ruling CPN (UML) has thrown its weight behind presidential hopeful Suraj Vaidya ahead of the elections scheduled for April 12. [break]
“We have already issued circulars to business leaders, who are also members of our party, to vote for Vaidya,” said Mukunda Neupane, who looks after the party´s industrial sector. He told Republica that the party was hosting a discussion program with all UML-affiliated businessmen on Saturday to make sure that their votes go to the party´s preferred candidate.
Other candidate for the post, Azad Shrestha, meanwhile, has managed to garner the support of majority of past presidents and their political clouts. Businessmen close to him said Azad and his panel are eyeing to garner good support from businessmen close to Nepali Congress.
However, Nepali Congress said it has not issued whip of any sort to businessmen. “FNCCI is purely business organization and we have left it to the business community to decide who they want to choose as their leaders,” said NC leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat. He even flayed the tendency of parties to politicize elections of apolitical organizations like FNCCI.
UCPN (Maoist), meanwhile, has also not issued any circular in favor of any candidate. “Business body has its own role to play in economic policy we aspire. Still we have decided not to support any side,” said Krishna Prasad Acharya, who looks after the party´s industrial department.
The run for elections started taking a nasty turn after candidates themselves started to approach leaders of different political parties to garner the support of politically-affiliated businessmen, mainly from districts. As a result, businessmen not associated with any party are also getting calls from political leaders, suggesting them the candidates to vote for.
“This is very unfortunate, but such interference is happening because our leaders themselves are approaching political parties for support,” a businessman told Republica.
As the date of election nears, vertical split has deepened in the FNCCI that is holding its 45th general body meeting on April 11 and 12.
Vaidya, current senior vice-president of FNCCI based in Kathmandu, and Shrestha, a Pokhara-based central member, have filed their candidacies for the post of President at FNCCI. They have also approached the election with declared panels.
Vaidya has presented Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar as candidate for the post of senior vice-president, Bhawani Rana as candidate for vice-president from district chambers, Kiran Saakha as vice-president from commodity associations and Pashupati Murarka as vice-president from associate members.
Shrestha for his part has announced Krishna Prasad Tamrakar as his candidate for senior vice-president, Pradeep Jung Pandey as commodity vice-president, Nirak KC as district chambers vice-president and Pradeep Man Vaidya as associate vice-president.
Both panels have personalities with a long history of service at FNCCI. Entrepreneurs closely watching developments said it was difficult to predict who will prevail in the poll. “We are set for the toughest election since the Padma Jyoti-Binod Chaudhary contest. Only a thin margin will decide the win,” they said.
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