NRNA Leadership to Be Chosen by Consensus; Candidate Withdraws Presidential Bid

Kathmandu. The leadership of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) is set to be selected through consensus. Accordingly, presidential candidate Robin Sherchan has withdrawn his candidacy for the post of president, which he had previously registered.

He announced on Friday that he was withdrawing his candidacy in support of fellow presidential contender Hemraj Sharma.

Sherchan agreed to step back from the presidential race during high-level talks with NRNA chairpersons Badri KC and Mahesh Shrestha to reach a consensus. As part of the agreement, Sherchan has been designated as the Senior Vice President. In line with the agreement, he has already registered his nomination for the Senior Vice President post on Friday.

'My stance from the beginning has been that the organization must be united. Accordingly, I have withdrawn my candidacy for the benefit of the organization. As per the agreement, I have registered my nomination for Senior Vice President,' he stated. Sources claim that there was also an agreement to make him the president at the 13th General Convention.

Following the consensus, President Shrestha stated that the current necessity is consensus, and they are moving forward accordingly, adding that their focus is on ensuring Sherchan withdraws and accommodating other aspirants to avoid an election. Previously, Rabin Bajracharya had also filed his candidacy for the presidency alongside Sherchan and Sharma. Efforts are reportedly underway to persuade Bajracharya to withdraw his candidacy as well. Shrestha also mentioned that efforts are being made to secure consensus by asking other aspirants for various posts to withdraw their candidacies.

However, General Secretary candidate Ramsharan Simkhada has stated that he will not withdraw his candidacy. He asserted that he is ready to contest the general secretary election and will not abide by any consensus. Chiranjibi Khadka is also a candidate for the General Secretary position.

A few months ago, the NRNA, which was divided into various factions, unified, and the 12th General Convention of this unified NRNA is set to begin on Saturday. In this context, as a consensus environment has emerged, the election committee has revised the election schedule.