Renu Kshetry

Kathmandu, February 16

The much-hyped decision of a common panel with single candidacy has been opposed by the student bodies as the local-level student unions wish to go their separate ways in the Valley.

"We are trying to solve the problem from the central-level but the local-level bodies of both

the student wings do not want to give up as both have hopes of winning," said Gagan Kumar Thapa, general-secretary of the Nepal Students Union.

In previous FSU elections, the NSU got 68 per cent votes throughout the country. But the ANNFSU claimed that the forthcoming elections would result in their favour, citing the split in the NSU.

Rajendra Kumar Rai, president of the All Nepal National Free Students Union, said that we committed a mistake by not consulting our college units. He, however, expressed confidence that it would not hamper the policy of fighting polls jointly because competition will be held in a very healthy and friendly manner. The other five student unions have already expressed their support for joint panels.

However, the leadership claim does not seem to have materialised. The NSU unit of the Balmiki Bidhyapeeth today broke the lock of the college administration office which the ANNFSU had locked yesterday.

At the time when rift between the two major student bodies is going on, the All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) has intensified its activities to disrupt the elections. The pro-Maoist students threatened the campus chief of Kathmandu Education Campus with physical action if he dared to hold the Free Students Union poll on the scheduled date.

The campus chief was even given death threats if he proceeded with the polls. Meanwhile, poll procedures have been halted after the threat to the campus chief.

The Election Commissioner of Sanothimi Campus Bhaktapur is also reported to have received a threatening call from the pro-Maoists students who are demanding his resignation.

Similarly, the office of Election Commissioner at Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus was locked up by the ANNISU-R today. However, the election procedures continued after the police broke the lock.

Mahendra Singh, Rector of the TU, declining to comment on the threat from the pro-Maoist students, said the poll preparations have been completed. The date for submitting the nomination for candidacies has been extended till February 20, the earlier date being February 17.

In most of the colleges outside the Valley, the student bodies have agreed to come up with single candidacy. The student unions have already submitted their joint candidacy with president from the NSU and other members from the ANNFSU in the Lalitkala Campus, Kathmandu. The TU Election Organising Committee is responsible for holding elections in all its 62 constituent campuses.