NRNA unifies under Hemraj Sharma as 12th Global Convention in Kathmandu selects consensus leadership

KATHMANDU: The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), which had remained divided for several years, has finally reunited under the leadership of Dr. Hemraj Sharma following a consensus decision during its 12th International General Convention currently underway in Kathmandu.

The convention, which began on Saturday with the slogan “Unity, Investment and Pride,” agreed to select a unified leadership late Sunday night, ending a prolonged internal division within the global Nepali diaspora organization. Dr. Sharma was unanimously chosen as the new president after other contenders withdrew their candidacies in favor of unity.

According to officials attending the gathering, the new executive committee will be formally announced on Monday after the finalization of amendments to the organization’s statute.

Years of Division in the Global Diaspora Body

For the past few years, the organization had been operating in a fragmented state with two rival factions—one led by Badri KC and the other by Mahesh Shrestha. The division had weakened the global diaspora network, which traditionally plays an influential role in promoting investment, tourism, and economic engagement between Nepal and Nepalis living abroad.

Repeated attempts to reconcile the two factions had failed earlier. However, following a renewed push for unity—reportedly intensified after the “Gen-Z movement” on the 23rd and 24th of last month—former NRNA presidents intervened and initiated negotiations aimed at restoring organizational cohesion.

As a result, the two rival groups reached a 10-point agreement in the second week of Mangsir (November–December), paving the way for the unity convention now being held in Kathmandu.

Consensus Leadership After Candidates Withdraw

The path to consensus opened after presidential candidates Robin Sherchan and Rabin Bajracharya withdrew their candidacies, citing the broader institutional interest of maintaining unity within the diaspora organization.

Following their withdrawal, Sherchan was agreed upon as Senior Vice President, while Bajracharya was selected as Vice President.

Other vice presidents selected from different regions of the global Nepali diaspora include:

Khagendra Neupane (Malaysia), Ram Sharan Simkhada (United Kingdom), Prabin Gurung (Qatar), Rosina Pradhan Rai (United Kingdom), Junu Gurung (South Korea), Mahendra Oli (Australia), Roshan Thapa (Zambia), Dinesh Pokharel (Australia), Manoj Kumar Shrestha (UAE)

Representation Across Continents

The leadership structure reflects broad representation from Nepali communities across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania.

Radhika Gurung (Tika) from Hong Kong was selected as Women Vice President, while Bhimsen Thapa from Portugal became Youth Vice President unopposed.

For the post of General Secretary, Gangadhar Gautam from Belgium and Dr. Chiranjeevi Khadka from the Czech Republic were selected.

Deputy General Secretaries include:

Tank Prasad Gaire (Japan), Dinesh Kumar Ghimire (United Kingdom), Dr. Gyanendra Regmi (Australia), Paras Mani Pokharel (Japan), Secretaries chosen from various countries include: Rajendra Aryal (Saudi Arabia), Sujan Adhikari (Australia), Abhimanyu Basnet (Canada), Anuja Pradhan (Belgium), Bedraj Basnet (United States), Madhav Dulal (Canada), Supendra Ghising (Japan), Amrita Thapa (Kanchan) representing China was selected as Women Secretary.

Financial and Regional Leadership

Krishna Prasad Timilsina from the United Kingdom was selected as Treasurer, while Abdul Basid and Mohammad Muqtada Musalman from Qatar were chosen as Joint Treasurers. Ganga Khatriwada from South Korea was selected as Women Joint Treasurer.

Naveen Niure from Japan was chosen as Youth Coordinator.

Regional coordinators include:

Ramesh Shrestha – Middle East Region, Dipak Kandel – Asia-Pacific Region, Robot Limbu – Europe Region

Officials involved in the convention said all regional and coordination posts were filled through consensus as part of the broader unity effort to strengthen the organization’s global network.

The formal declaration of the new executive committee is expected Monday, bringing the 12th International Convention to a close while marking a new phase for the diaspora body that represents millions of Nepalis living and working abroad.