FNJ election fever grips journalists

Over 1,000 representatives of journalists from across the country have started coming to the capital for the 22nd general convention of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists scheduled for May 3-4.

Some 100 journalists have announced candidacy for 27 central committee posts. The FNJ election takes place every three years. The FNJ is the largest and oldest umbrella organisation of Nepali journalists.

Over 5,000 journalists are affiliated with the FNJ.

Those who have announced their candidacy are busy in campaigning.

Some are visiting voters in different media houses.

They are also using telephone calls and SMS to remind their friends of their candidacy.

Kulchandra Wagle, Dharmendra Jha, Mahendra Bista, Shiva Gaule, Shital Koirala have already announced their candidacy for the post of president.

Govinda Acharya, Balaram Baniya and Kedar Koirala, have announced candidacy for vice-president. Hemanta Kafle, Nirmala Sharma, Binod Dhungel and Poshan KC are likely to fight for the post of general secratary.

Likewise, Purna Basnet and Ramji Dahal have announced candidacy for the post of secretary and Ramesh Bista, Bijaya Ghimire and Rajendra Phuyal for the post of treasurer. Bishnu Subedi, Jagat Nepal, Ujir Magar, Dipak Pande, Rajendra Phuyal, Khil Bahadur Bhandari and Dipak Rijal have expressed their intention o contest the election for the post of central member from the Valley.

Yashoda Timilsina, Maina Dhital, Saraswati Karki and Rita Gurung have announced candidacy for the central member’s post reserved for women; Rajkumar Dikpal, Dilip Thapa Magar and Bir Man Sherpa for the Janajati quota; and Diwakar Bagchand and Govinda Pariyar for the Dalit quota.

FNJ general secretary Mahendra Bista, who intends to fight for presidentship, said he would concentrate on professionalism and implementation of the Working Journalists’ Act.

“The FNJ election is going to draw the attention of the whole country. Still, this time, most of the contenders are professional and there will be little influ ence of the political parties,” he claimed.

However, some candidates are said to be backed by the NC-affiliated Nepal Press Union and UML-affiliated Nepal Press Chautari.

And newly formed Maoistaffiliated Krantikari Partrakar Sangh has proposed two candidates this time.

“The political circle should not try to intervene in the FNJ election,” says FNJ president Bishnu Nisthuri.

The amendment to the FNJ’s constitution has reserved one member’s seat for women, Janajatis, Dalits and Madhesis in the central committee. Regionally, the FNJ has reserved two members’ seats each for farwestern, mid-western, western, central and eastern regions and the Valley in the central committee.