Nepal Students Union and All Nepal National Free Students Union — both aligned to the ruling parties — today called on Tribhuvan University affiliated colleges across the country to conduct the Free Student Union election on the announced date of June 1.

NSU is aligned to the Nepali Congress and ANNFSU to the CPN-UML. The call from NSU and ANNFSU comes at a time when some student unions affiliated to the Unified CPN-Maoist, Madhes-based forces and some fringe parties are protesting, saying TU must announce a new poll date after taking consensus from them.

TU a few days ago decided to defer the FSU election by four days — from March 28 to June 1 — but agitating students have taken exception to the decision, saying their consensus was not sought before rescheduling the poll date. They also staged an hourlong sit-in in front of major campuses across the country to press the respective administration offices to conduct the election on the announced date. “The hour-long sit-in was held at different times as per the convenience of students in various campuses,” Ghimire said, adding, such pressure campaigns will continue. Yesterday, a joint meeting of NSU and ANNFSU was held. Both the unions said poll ‘will be held in a free and fair manner’.

NSU and ANNFSU have accused the agitating student unions of conspiring against students’ movement by halting the FSU election. They have urged the dissenting students to support the campuses to hold the election. Meanwhile, agitating unions, including All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary, today torched poll schedule to protest what they called TU’s unilateral decision to hold the election on June 1’.

source: the himalayan times,19 may 2014