KATHMANDU: Student unions of major political parties are gearing up for the Free Student Union (FSU) elections amidst internal disputes and uncertainties.
The two largest student unions in the country—the Nepali Congress (NC)-affiliated Nepal Students Union (NSU) and the CPN-UML-aligned All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU)—are both grappling with internal challenges. The NSU is embroiled in factional politics, while ANNFSU is plagued by internal rivalries and a tendency of one group rejecting others.
Tribhuvan University (TU) has scheduled the FSU elections for March 18. The election process has already begun in colleges under the university, according to Prof. Pashupati Adhikari, the Director of the Student Welfare Division at TU. He added that the deadline for registering unions for the election is set for March 3. The voter list will be published on March 5.
Student organizations are often accused of prioritizing personal interests over making educational activities more effective and providing modern education. Additionally, issues of opacity and irregularities have raised questions about the relevance of the FSU in recent years.
Along with NSU and ANNFSU, the ANNFSU (Revolutionary), the student wing of CPN (Maoist Center), is certain to contest the election. Although all political parties, except the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), have student wings, their performance in the elections has not been very effective.
Although NC and UML are in the ruling coalition, their student unions have already stated that they won’t forge an alliance and will contest independently. NSU President Dujang Sherpa and ANNFSU President Samik Badal have agreed in principle not to collaborate. However, it won’t be easy to hold the elections as many colleges already remain padlocked due to disputes.
Prof Adhikari said that preparations were underway for the FSU elections. “We have made all necessary preparations. Major organizations have already entered the election fray,” he told Himal Press over the phone.
TU is conducting elections simultaneously in 63 constituent and over 300 affiliated colleges across the country. The elections, held every two years, previously took place at only 50 constituent colleges. The election process was affected in 13 constituent colleges, including colleges in Kathmandu Valley like Bishwa Bhasha, Ratna Rajya, Nepal Commerce, and Tri Chandra, due to disputes.
Outside the Valley, elections could not be held in colleges like Birendra and Engineering in Chitwan, Engineering and Prithvi Narayan in Kaski, Thakur Ram in Parsa, Siddhanath in Kanchanpur, and Doti College in Doti.
Tribhuvan University does not have data on how many affiliated campuses held elections. “We don’t have the data as affiliated campuses are not required to submit their election reports,” said Adhikari.
This year, Colleges like Padma Kanya and Amrit Science have already been padlocked. “Padlocking activities will intensify as the election draws nearer. We cannot guarantee elections will be held in all colleges,” a leader of ANNFSU said.
Student organizations often become agitated when they see the possibility of losing in certain areas. This has been the reason for cancellation of previous elections.
Factional Politics Mars NSU
NSU has long relied on ad-hoc committees because of the failure to hold elections. Due to leadership disputes, NSU is divided into factions and groups. The incumbent President Sherpa is close to NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba. NSU leaders say the other faction, led by Premika Rana Magar, who is close to Dr. Shekhar Koirala, is conducting parallel activities.
Both factions are likely to demand their share in the FSU election.
NSU Spokesperson Suraj Sejuwal said their focus will be on upholding democratic activities in the election. “Since the party has given directives for the FSU election, all groups and factions will unite,” he said.
The NSU’s national convention is certain to be postponed due to the FSU. It is now preparing to hold its national convention in mid-May.
NSU leaders close to the Koirala faction said they would revolt if President Sherpa chooses to form alliances in the FSU election.
While President Sherpa is preparing to form alliances in the FSU, the Koirala faction is ready to rebel if he does so. The Thapa faction is also fighting to take their share from the chair-aligned leaders.
ANNFSU Fears Internal Betrayal
There is fear of internal betrayal in ANNFSU in the upcoming FSU elections. Relationships among second-tier leaders, who are vying for leadership, have already started to turn sour.
ANNFSU postponed its national convention from February to May to reduce internal tension.
“Internal competition exists in the organization, but we will contest the election as a united force,” said ANNFSU Secretary and Spokesperson Prakash Paudel. “We will compete individually, but victory will be ours. There are no issues among us.”
ANNFSU, which won leadership of 133 campuses in the previous FSU elections, aims to win most of the positions this time. “Elections could not be held in many colleges last year. We are hopeful that elections will be held in all colleges. Our numbers will increase naturally,” said Paudel.
ANNFSU-Revolutionary Looking for Alliances
Three factions were seen during the recent national convention of ANNFSU-Revolutionary. Leaders fear the impact of the convention could be felt in the FSU election.
Two factions—one led by Maoist Center Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the other by Deputy General Secretary Janardan Sharma—were visible during the national convention. After the convention, the Sharma faction also held a separate gathering.
The ANNFSU-Revolutionary is hopeful of forging alliances with like-minded organizations. ANNFSU-Revolutionary leaders say negotiations will be held on a college-by-college basis.
ANNFSU-Revolutionary General Secretary Roshan Thapa said the chances of forming an alliance with the student union of CPN (Unified Socialist) are high. “We are not dictated by the party leadership. Everything will be decided at the local level,” he added.
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This version corrects grammatical errors, typos, and improves sentence structure for clarity and readability.
