Free Student Union elections were held at the Tribhuvan University in Nepal in March-April 2025. Free Student Union elections take place on partisan lines, with the main groups in the 2025 election being the Nepal Student Union (linked to the Nepali Congress), the All Nepal National Free Students Union (linked to the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)) and the All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) (linked to the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre)). The electoral process was disrupted at many campuses, due to conflicts between student organisations or internal disputes within student organisations. By the April 3, 2025 deadline more elections had not been held in 15 out of 62 constituent campuses of the university.
Election system Tribhuvan University had some 390,000 students, with around 162,000 students at constituent campuses and some 230,000 students at affiliated and community colleges. Whilst the university has 1,053 campuses, Free Student Union elections were only scheduled at 462 campuses.
Normally Free Student Union elections should be held every two years. But no nation-wide college election has been held since 2009. At Tribhuvan University a mixed electoral system was introduced in 2017. A mixed election system is used, with the president, secretary, treasurer and some members of the campus Free Students Union working committee are elected through First Past the Post whilst the vice president, joint secretary and some members are elected through Proportional Representation. The number of members of the Free Student Union working committee at each campus depends on the number of students. The upper age limit for candidates is 28 years.
The electoral roll would be published on March 5, 2025. Candidacies would be registered on March 11, 2025.
Voting and delayed elections The election was held per schedule on March 18, 2025, at 38 constituent campuses as well as some 250 affiliated colleges. The National Human Rights Commission would monitor the election process. The voting was generally peaceful, with some scattered incidents. A voter turn-out of around 65% was reported by the Central Monitoring and Coordination Committee for the Free Student Union election.
Among the 22 constituent campuses were voting could not be held, 11 were located in the Kathmandu Valley. These included large campuses such as the Tribhuvan University Central Campus, Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Campus and Shanker Dev Campus, where student organisations had obstructed the electoral process. The most common cause for postponed elections at the larger campuses were the internal disputes within the Nepal Students Union, due to the conflicts within the mother party Nepali Congress between the factions of Sher Bahadur Deuba and Shekhar Koirala respectively. The Deuba-Koirala factional dispute halted Free Student Union elections at 17 constituent campuses.
In relation to the delays in the holding of elections at many campuses, Tribhuvan University directed that they be held before the April 3, 2025 deadline. Tribhuvan University rector Professor Khagda K.C. stressed that some university exams had been halted due to the election process, and that the elections had interrupted undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
Organisations contesting 25 student organisations contested the election nation-wide, compared to 19 organisations in the 2023 elections; OrganisationPolitical affiliationNote: The identical name 'Akhil Nepal Rastriya Swatantra Bidhyarthi Union' (अखिल नेपाल राष्ट्रिय स्वतन्त्र विद्यार्थी युनियन) is used by many different organisations, but organisations that stem from the tradition of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) tend to use the English version 'All Nepal National Free Students Union' and the Nepali abbreviation 'Aneraswabiyu' (अनेरास्ववियु) whilst the organisations that stem from the tradition of the Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Convention) tend to use English version 'All Nepal National Independent Students Union' and the Nepali abbreviation 'Akhil' (अखिल).All Nepal National Free Students UnionCommunist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)All Nepal National Free Students Union (Fifth)Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist)All Nepal National Free Students Union (Unified Socialist)Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist)All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary)Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre)All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) MajorityCommunist Party of Nepal (Majority)All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) VaidyaCommunist Party of Nepal (Revolutionary Maoist)Akhil SamajbadiCommunist Party of NepalAll Nepal National Independent Students Union (Sixth)Rastriya JanamorchaAll Nepal Students UnionCommunist Party of NepalDemocratic Student UnionLoktantrik Samajwadi Party, NepalNagarik Bidhyarthi SamajNagrik Unmukti PartyNational Democratic Student OrganisationRastriya Prajatantra PartyNational Democratic Student Organisation, NepalRastriya Prajatantra Party NepalNational Student ForumNational Students UnionNepal Janata PartyNaya Shakti Bidhyarthi UnionNepal Bidhyarthi MorchaRastriya Janamukti PartyNepal Revolutionary Students' UnionNepal Workers Peasants PartyNepal Student UnionNepali CongressScientific Socialist Students FrontScientific Socialist Student OrganisationScientific Socialist Communist Party, NepalSocialist Students UnionPeople's Socialist PartySocialist Student Union, NepalPeople's Socialist Party, NepalStudent Janamat UnionJanamat Party
The highest number of groups competing in the election was recorded at Thakur Ram Multiple Campus in Birgunj, where there were 34 different candidate slates in the fray.
Results At 82 campuses no election was held, as student organisations settled for consensus candidacies. ANNFSU won the presidential post unopposed at 32 campuses - 8 in Bagmati Province, 7 in Lumbini Province, 7 in Sudurpaschim Province, 4 in Koshi Province, 3 in Gandaki Province and 3 in Karnali Province. NSU won the presidency unopposed at 28 campuses and ANNISU(R) at 21 campuses. For ANNFSU At Manahari Multiple Campus in Makwanpur the candidate of the CPN(Unified Socialist)-linked ANNFSU was elected unopposed to the presidency.
As of March 22, 2025, per the university administration, elections were still pending at 21 constituent campuses and 140 affiliated colleges. As of March 23, 2025 NSU claimed that have won 115 affiliated colleges, ANNFSU claimed 103 affiliated colleges whilst ANNISU(R) claimed 85 affiliated colleges. At Garamani Campus in Birtamod, which had the smallest electorate its district with only 90 eligible voters, the National Democratic Student Organisation won the presidency with 23 votes against 8 votes for NSU and 6 votes for ANNFSU.
As of the April 3, 2025 Free Student Union working committees had been elected in 47 out of 62 constituent campuses. The Central Monitoring and Coordination Committee for the elections stated that electoral process would only resume if instructed by court order, otherwise no election would take place until the end of the two-year tenure. At Nepal Law College the election was held on April 21, 2025.
Reacting to the election result, Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) stated that "[t]he results achieved across the country, including the defeats of student organizations supported by the ruling coalition in many campuses, have further confirmed that today's conscious and intellectual youth are with us in our campaign against corruption and injustice."
Results at Constituent Campuses Campus Municipality District Province Winner Free Student Union election Bhaktapur Multiple Campus Bhaktapur Bhaktapur BagmatiNSUNSU candidate Pukar Purajuli won the presidency. NSU and ANNFSU had formed a Joint Panel to confront the Nepal Revolutionary Students Union, as they had done two years earlier. Clashes broke out during the counting of votes. Sanothimi Campus Madhyapur Thimi Bhaktapur BagmatiANNISU(R)ANNISU(R) candidate Narendra Singh Thagunna elected president. ANNISU(R) and NSU had coordination ahead of the polls at the campus. Birendra Multiple Campus Bharatpur Chitwan BagmatiElection postponed. Lockdown by small student organisation. Chitwan Engineering Campus Bharatpur Chitwan BagmatiInd.Independent candidate Prajwal Adhikari won the presidency, but would go on to join ANNISU(R). His affiliation to ANNISU(R) was formalized at a post-election event attended by CPN(Maoist Centre) leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Bharatpur mayor Renu Dahal. Rampur Agriculture Campus Khairahani Chitwan BagmatiElection postponed. Lockdown by ANNFSU and others. Dispute erupted during registration of candidates. Amrit Science Campus Kathmandu Kathmandu BagmatiANNFSUANNFSU panel won the election at Amrit Science Campus. Election had been postponed in last minute, as ANNISU(R) padlocked the campus. The acting campus chief Hom Bahadur Baniya issued a notice postponing the ballot due to security concerns, as some student organizations had not taken part in a joint meeting the on March 17, 2025.
1,291 out of 1,948 eligible voters participated in the ballot held on March 23, 2025. ANNFSU candidate Rudrahari Porkhel won the presidency by a margin of 326 votes. The runner-up for the presidency represented ANNISU(R), NSU was also in the fray. Bishwo Bhasha Campus Kathmandu Kathmandu BagmatiElection postponed. There was a conflict between NSU and ANNISU(R) at the campus. Lockdown by ANNISU(R). Lalitkala Campus Kathmandu Kathmandu BagmatiANNFSUANNFSU candidate Ashish Poudel won the presidency. Mahendra Ratna Campus Kathmandu Kathmandu BagmatiANNFSUANNFSU candidate Ishwar Thapa won the presidency. Nepal Commerce Campus Kathmandu Kathmandu BagmatiANNFSUANNFSU candidate Bishal Rokaha won the presidency. Nepal Law Campus Kathmandu Kathmandu BagmatiANNFSUANNFSU candidate Samir Rijal won the presidency. 13 slates contested the election. Mohammad Majid Pravez contested as the presidential candidate of NSU. ANNFSU and ANNISU(R) contested jointly, with ANNFSU contesting the post of president and ANNISU(R) the post of secretary. The ANNFSU-ANNISU(R) joint panel contested on the slogan of '24 months, 24 guarantees'.
Election had been postponed to April 2, 2025, as controversy arose over the voters list, with accusations of fake voters having been registered. ANNFSU and ANNISU(R) obstructed the election. NSU conducted a hunger strike at the campus demanding the holding of the election. NSU filed a petition at the Patan High Court, and the court ordered elections to be held.
Voting took place on April 21, 2025, with a total of 1,653 votes being cast. But whilst ANNFSU won the presidency, NSU won the posts of secretary and treasurer.
The ANNFSU presidential candidate Rijal got 871 votes, NSU presidential candidate Pravez 757 votes and the Scientific Socialist Student Organisation presidential candidate 17 votes.