With the year 2079 coming to an end, Nepal's private sector is fully engrossed in the election fever to elect a new leadership of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI). As per the FNCCI statute, the senior vice president automatically becomes the president for the next term. This has made the election of senior vice president a battle royale. Unlike past elections, a tripartite contest has emerged this time with Anjan Shrestha, Ram Chandra Sanghai, and Umesh Lal Shrestha vying for the senior vice president post and forming their panels. With nominations completed and one week left for the election, the candidates are making last-ditch efforts to ensure their victory.

The effort for a consensus candidate for the senior vice president post, initiated by the current Senior Vice President Chandra Prasad Dhakal, who will lead the FNCCI after the 57th General Assembly, has failed to yield the desired result.

As per the statute of FNCCI, there will be one president, one senior vice president, three vice presidents, and one treasurer. There will be 19 members from the association, 18 from the district/municipal, and 12 from the commodity association in the FNCCI executive committee. In addition to this, 14 members will also be chosen, two from each province. As in the past, business houses, former FNCCI presidents, and political parties all are involved in the FNCCI election, making it a high-stakes contest. As the Nepali private sector's apex organization, the FNCCI election has always been a prestige issue for the private sector. And, this time also, it is no different. All three candidates for the senior VP post claim their candidacy is natural pointing out their contributions to the organization. Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director of Laxmi Group said that the problems of the private sector should be given priority when the economy is in a state of turmoil and that FNCCI should be made accessible to all businesspersons at all levels. In Shrestha's panel, Arunraj Sumargi is contesting for the district/municipal vice president post, Manish Lal Pradhan for the commodity vice president, and Bharat Raj Acharya for the associate vice president. Ramchandra Sanghai of Triveni Group represents the Marwari business community. From his panel, Sur Krishna Vaidya is vying for the district/municipal vice president post, Sakuntalal Hirachan for the commodity vice president, and Jyotsana Shrestha for the associate vice president. Umesh Lal Shrestha, Managing Director of Quest Pharmaceuticals, is also confident to win the race. In Shrestha's panel, Dinesh Shrestha is contesting for the district/municipal vice president, Hemraj Dhakal for the commodity vice president, and Bharat Raj Acharya for the associate vice president. Acharya is the common candidate of Anjan and Umesh Lal panels. The election is scheduled for April 12. In voting, the district/municipal association has higher weightage than associate members and commodity associations. And, more than 50 percent of the total votes are needed to win the senior VP post.