Kathmandu: As elections approach for the new leadership of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, competing factions have begun offering increasingly attractive incentives to win over voters.
Business leaders who frequently advocate for transparency and good governance are now preparing to spend millions of rupees on lavish campaign packages aimed at securing votes in the upcoming polls.
The election for a new executive committee, including the senior vice president, is scheduled for April 10 and 11. Under the federation’s revised statute, this vote will determine the senior vice president, who will later assume the presidency in the following election cycle.
To maximize their chances of victory, candidates have introduced various incentive-driven campaign offers. One of the two candidates contesting the position of vice president representing the commodity sector has reportedly promised an overseas trip to Sri Lanka for around 130 voters. The package even allows voters to bring their spouses along.
“Initially there was talk of taking us to Bangkok, but due to technical reasons the destination was changed to Sri Lanka,” one business voter told Clickmandu. “Once they said spouses could join, it became hard to refuse.”
Preparations for the four-night, five-day Sri Lanka trip are already underway, with passports being collected from the 130 voters expected to join. Those who do not yet have passports have been given time to obtain them. According to the same businessperson, the trip is scheduled to begin in the first week of March.
Participants will also receive pocket money if they wish to spend during the trip. The estimated budget for the 130 voters is around NPR 20 million, averaging roughly NPR 150,000 per voter.
Such lavish spending, the voter said, makes it increasingly difficult for smaller entrepreneurs to compete in the federation’s elections. “When candidates spend this much to secure victory through these kinds of packages, the cost will ultimately be passed on to consumers in one way or another,” he warned.
Another candidate has taken a different approach by organizing a domestic retreat. His campaign includes hosting voters overnight at a resort in Sukute, Sindhupalchok, with food and accommodation fully covered.
In addition, he plans to organize a gathering in early March at a five-star hotel in the capital to collect concerns and policy proposals from various business sectors. These will be compiled into a formal document and submitted to the next government.
Two major factions have emerged ahead of the vote. One group has fielded Hemraj Dhakal as its candidate for senior vice president, backed by the federation’s current president Chandra Dhakal. The rival camp has put forward a panel led by former vice president Ramchandra Sanghai, supported by current senior vice president Anjan Shrestha, who is set to automatically assume the presidency under the federation’s statute.
While the names of candidates for the commodity sector executive positions have largely been disclosed, nominees from the district-municipal and associate member categories have yet to be formally announced.
On the Sanghai panel, Shiv Prasad Ghimire is contesting for the commodity sector vice presidency, with Prabal Jung Pandey running for the associate category, and Krishna Prasad Sharma and Dil Kumar Shrestha competing for the district-municipal vice president posts.
From the Dhakal camp, Naresh Lal Shrestha has been nominated as the candidate for commodity sector vice president. So far, Jyotsna Shrestha has emerged as the associate candidate from the same panel, while other nominees have yet to be finalized.
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