NRNA holds first ever polls to choose chief

KATHMANDU, OCT 21 -After hectic negotiations on Sunday, two candidates—Shesh Ghale from Australia and Tenzi Sherpa from South Korea—entered the race for presidency of the Non-Resident Nepali Association ( NRNA ). This is the first time that the NRNA top post is being decided by the vote.

Three other presidential candidates UK-based Hitman Gurung, Germany-based Ram Pratap Thapa and UAE-based Rameshwor Shah pulled out of the race following the lengthy discussion over consensus-presidency on Sunday. On Saturday, a total of five candidates had filed their nomination for the top post of the NRNA executive committee.

While each of the past presidents of the NRNA had been chosen unanimously, the failure to reach consensus this time round led to the election. The voting which started at 8:30 pm was still going on until when went to press.“This time the president is going to be selected through democratic process,” said Ghale, assuring that he had ‘ambition and resources’ to do something for the NRN community and mother country.


Ghale is reported to have received the support of all three candidates who withdrew from the race for the top post. Ghale’s competitor Sherpa, who is also the outgoing NRNA general secretary, said his long experience in the association would go a long way in bringing about the change.

The NRNs said Sherpa had refused to withdraw his candidacy despite being coming under huge pressure from the Ghale panel. A total of 1,302 voters will elect a 22-member new NRNA executive body for two years.

Established in October 2003, the umbrella organisation of Nepali diaspora only received its legal status in Nepal on Sunday after its registration in the Foreign Ministry.

The registration had been possible after the sixth NRNA general assembly on Saturday made amendment to its statue by re-defining the NRN in line with the government definition. As the NRNA ’s earlier statue had defined individuals spending 183 days abroad (except Saarc countries) as an NRN in contrast to the government’s definition.

According to the NRN Act 2008, any Nepali who spends more than two years in countries beyond Saarc region is an NRN. President Ram Baran Yadav is scheduled to inaugurate the NRNA global conference on Monday.