Kathmandu, January 26 With the annual general meeting (AGM) and election of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNC- CI) approaching, industrialists and business people across the country have started finalising their candidacy and candidates to vote for the organisation’s new executive committee. FNCCI, the largest private sector representing body in the country, plans to hold its 54th AGM on April 10 and 11. As per the existing provision in the FNCCI statute, the current senior vice-president of FNCCI will become the new president automatically. Though FNCCI was supposed to amend the provision that automatically makes the senior vice-president as the new president of the organisation, FNCCI has stepped back from changing the provision lately. However, there will be election for other executive committee posts at FNCCI. As the FNCCI statute has a provision whereby the senior vice-president automatically becomes the president in the next election, aspirants for the post of senior vice-president are seen in a race to win the support of voters of the largest private sector umbrella body. Especially, FNC- CI’s vice presidents — Chandra Dhakal and Kishore Pradhan — have lately been saying that they would vie for the post of senior vice-president of FNCCI in the upcoming election. Both the industrialists have already revealed their plans to vie for post of senior vice-president. An FNCCI executive member, seeking anonymity, said potential candidates for different posts at the new executive committee of FNCCI have already started internal campaigns to win votes in their favour. Earlier in December, Dhakal had announced his candidacy for the post of senior vice-president of FNCCI at a public programme in Baglung. “As I have been encouraged to lead the organisation in the future by industrialists and business people, I will certainly respect their will by getting myself elected to FNCCI’s top post,” he had said. Meanwhile, FNCCI’s incumbent Vice President Pradhan is also expressing his plans to lead the organisation publicly. Pradhan had lost in the election for senior vice-president of FNCCI held two years ago to industrialist Shekhar Golchha. Pradhan was later elected to the post of vice president (district and municipal chapter) at FNC- CI, after the post became vacant after the former vice president Pramod Shrestha filed his candidacy in the first series of local elections against the mandate of the statute of FNCCI. Similarly, it is also learned that other industrialists including Umesh Lal Shrestha, Dinesh Shrestha, DB Basnet and Saurabh Jyoti are also preparing to vie for different other executive committee posts at FNCCI in the upcoming election.