Kathmandu, February 26:

The eight students union affiliated to various political parties today threatened legal battle against the announcement that declared a panel elected unopposed for the Free Students’ Union (FSU) at the Saraswati Multiple Campus (SMC) in contradiction with the campus’ election commission’s earlier notice postponing the election till further notice. The commission had declared a 11-member panel headed by independent candidate Man Singh Lama as elected unopposed at midnight yesterday.

“We will move the court as the decision is unfair. How can the commission announce the FSU elected when it has already postponed all the election activities till further notice?” asked Khimlal Bhattarai, president of the ANNFSU. The campus’ FSU election panel had postponed the elections on February 20 citing adverse circumstances after “ANNFSU and other student unions were barred from filing nomination by hooligans.”

Bhattarai said at a press conference today that the student unions will not recognise the FSU and will not allow the so called newly-elected FSU officials to enter the campus premises.

Bhattarai alleged that it was a conspiracy hatched by the State in connivance with the TU and campus administrations to disrupt the FSU elections.

The campus had declared a panel headed by Man Bir Lama (Independent), along with five members from NSU and five independent candidates, as elected unopposed for the FSU. Lama is a dissident of the ANNFSU. To protest the announcement, campus units of eight student unions today locked the campus.

Kishor Singh Rathore, chairman of NSU close to NC (D), said the alliance of the eight student unions would remain intact at the campus and they would file joint candidacy for the FSU elections. Manoj Mani Acharya, vice-president of NSU close to Nepali Congress, said the NSU will not give recognition to the midnight announcement even though five NSU members were also said to be elected in the FSU. “The central committee will take action against them,” he said.

The election commission set up for the FSU polls at the campus had postponed the elections on February 20 after ANNFSU and NSU close to NC (D) could not file nomination after ‘hooligans’ barred them from filing nomination. They had also abducted two student leaders — sitting FSU chairman Govind Gautam and ANNFSU candidate for FSU chairman Shailesh Lama. Student groups then clashed leading to the postponement of FSU polls.

NSU expels four

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Students’ Union close to the NC (D) expelled Rajan Bhetwal, Prem Langhchhe, Suraj Man Sainju and Mukesh Dahal from the union for two years for campaigning against official candidates of the union for the upcoming FSU polls at the Shankardev Campus. Bhetwal ans Langchhe are vice-presidents of the campus unit of the union, while Sainju is joint secretary and Dahal a member of

the unit. — HNS