Shrestha duo set to fight for NOC President’s post, again

Lalitpur, August 27

Sitting President Jeevan Ram Shrestha and former Vice-president Umesh Lal Shrestha filed the nominations for the top post of the Nepal Olympic Committee here today.

The duo had contested for the same post in the elections four years ago with Jeevan Ram Shrestha winning it 17-9. They are facing each other one more time after both of them filed nominations for the same post for the Elective General Assembly.

Nine candidates filed their nominations for five vice-presidents. Jyoti Rana — vice-president and lone female representative in the current committee — and Members Tej Bahadur Gurung, Ashok Ratna Bajracharya, Rajiv Shrestha and Samim Miya Ansari will fight against newcomers Sunil Kumar Shrestha, Pushpa Das Shrestha and Chatura Nanda Rajvaidhya for the post of vice-presidents.

Chatura Nanda Rajvaidhya and Rajiv Shrestha had contested for the post of Deputy Secretary General in the previous elections and the latter had won it on toss after they were tied on 13 votes.

Another Vice-president of the current committee, Purendra Bikram Lakhe filed nomination for the post of Secretary General along with Member Nilendra Raj Shrestha. Ratan Tandan will retain the post of Treasurer after no other candidate filed nomination against him, while National Sports Council Vice-president Pitamber Timsina made his entry in the NOC as an unopposed Deputy Secretary General.

Former NSC Member Secretary Keshab Kumar Bista, Ram Awale, Prakash Shumsher Rana and Tulsi Thapa filed their nominations for the post of three Secretaries, while nine representatives — Ramesh Prasad Shiwakoti, Ram Awale, Prakash Shumsher Rana, Gopal Sundar Lal Kakshapati, Tashi Ghale, Hom Bahadur Dong, Dirgha Bahadur KC and Manoranjan Raman Sharma — will fight for seven Members.

The Election Committee, led by senior advocate Lok Bhakta Rana, has already published the elections procedures. Representatives from 27 national associations, affiliated to the NOC, will take part in the Elective General Assembly, which will elect 19-member executive committee for the next four years, on September 6.

NOC President Shrestha said the Elective General Assembly would be a different one. “It is a regular process but it is distinct than the previous ones. We all are excited as we hoping to end the long-standing controversy once and for all after this General Assembly,” said Shrestha after filing the nomination paper. “We believe there will no existence of parallel Olympic Committees in the country after this General Assembly,” he added.

The two bodies — another one led by Rukma Shumsher Rana — have reached to an agreement to end the controversy and the NOC has already amended the statute through extraordinary congress last month to address the issues of the agitating side. “Basically, we agreed to take the Olympic Movement to the new heights together,” said Shrestha.

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