Butwal, April 3
The election of the Rupandehi Hotel and Restaurant Entrepreneurs’ Association, originally scheduled for April 6 and 7, has been postponed following an office lockdown by dissatisfied members.
Protesting hoteliers accused the current leadership of manipulating the election process and preventing interested candidates from filing nominations. In response, they locked the association’s office, demanding the cancellation of the current election process and a fair opportunity for all candidates.
Senior Vice President Madhav Khanal stated that the lockdown would only be lifted if the leadership agreed to start a fresh election process. He emphasized that the selection should be open to all aspiring candidates without political bias.
Despite discussions continuing until late Wednesday evening, no agreement was reached. Chief Election Officer, Advocate Shalik Ram Banjade, issued a notice stating that the election had been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing dispute.
The current association president, Lekhnath Bhandari, is affiliated with the Nepali Congress, while Khanal and other protesting entrepreneurs are linked to the CPN-UML.
The association has a total of 922 members, including small, medium, and large-scale hoteliers.
