Just after winning the election as president, Pradeep Jung Pandey of FNCCI issued a public statement urging the members to forget their differences and join hands of unity.

When Pandey issued the statement for unity, elected members of his panel and sympathizers were busy making a strategy to grasp the first senior vice president post in their fold. There is a competition now between Pashupati Murarka, vice president who contested from Rajkarnicar panel and Bhavani Rana, vice president elect from Pandey's panel.

Backed by former presidents Kush Kumar Joshi, Chandi Raj Dhakal, Mahesh Lal Pradhan and Confederation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce (CNI), Pandey panel seems to be no mood to give the first senior vice president to Murarka.

“The first senior vice president will be decided by the majority of members,” said Joshi showing the  rigid stand against Murarka. 

Never in the history of Nepal, there has been so deep a division among the industrialists and entrepreneurs on personal issues. This was what one saw during the elections campaign.

Murarka has already decided to contest the elections for the first senior vice president. In case, Pandey's group pushed Bhavani Rana, there will be further division in the FNCCI and it will end the possibility for reconciliation.

Although the election is over and newly elected president Pandey took the charge from immediate past president Suraj Vaidya, a very difficult time seems to lie ahead for the new team.

As the country's overall political scenario is looking darker, one cannot rule out the possibility of more radicalization of labor forces, producing more violent moves in the industrial sector.

At a time when there is the need of unified and cohesive voices among the industrialists, the recent division and crack appearing in the FNCCI will have long lasting impacts.

The comfortable victory of young industrialist like Saurav Joyti and Shekhar Golchha has shown that the time has come in Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry to go for younger generation.

Pradip Jung Pandey got elected as FNCCI president with a thumping majority, defeating his rival and media tycoon Bhaskarraj RajKarnicar by over 10 percent of votes.

However, Pandey failed to secure the victory for all his members.  Although Pandey's group secured much needed positions in the elections, the mandate given by Nepal's industrialists is fractured. 

Given voting tends and elections of new faces, recently held elections of FNCCI indicate that the time has come to give the reign of leadership to the new and young industrialists.