KATHMANDU, April 14: Chandra Prasad Dhakal has become the president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

Dhakal, who was the senior vice-president, has risen to the topmost position of the umbrella organization of the private sector, as per the FNCCI’s statute. The outgoing FNCCI President Shekhar Golchha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Dhakal on Thursday.

Dhakal is the founder chairman of the IME Group. He leads more than two dozen businesses related to remittance, banking, information technology, energy, tourism, automobile, insurance and entertainment, among others.

Likewise, Anjan Shrestha has been elected as the new senior vice-president of FNCCI. Shrestha and two other candidates - Ram Chandra Shanghai and Umesh Lal Shrestha — were in the fray for the position. Following the defeat of Sanghai in the first-round election held on Wednesday, Shrestha secured his win after Umesh Lal Shrestha agreed to withdraw from the race.

The election entered the second-round as no single candidate got 50 percent votes in the first round. As per FNCCI's statute, one should receive at least 50 percent votes to be elected as the senior vice-president. 

The newly-elected Senior Vice-president Shrestha is the executive director of Laxmi Group, a conglomerate of Sujal Food and Dairy Products, packaging industry, automobile trading, infrastructure, steel manufacturing and agriculture, among others. Shrestha will be automatically promoted to the position of FNCCI president after three years.

According to the election committee of the FNCCI, there were three contenders for the post of senior vice-president, eight candidates for the three vice-presidential posts and 108 candidates for the 60 posts of members.

 
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