Kathmndu, Nepal Rastra Bank is currently in a leadershipless state. The five-year term of Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari officially ended on Sunday. Before the end of his term, Adhikari had bid farewell by publicizing his achievements during his tenure at a official program by NRB. The government has initiated the necessary process for the appointment of a new governor.

According to sources in the Ministry of Finance, the selection process of eligible candidates has been initiated at a rapid pace and a decision is likely to be reached in the near future. According to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, 2058, there is a provision to appoint a new governor one month before the end of the term of the governor. However, the process of appointing a governor has been delayed so far, due to which the process of appointing a governor has not been able to move forward due to the busy schedule of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

To move forward the process of appointing a governor, a recommendation committee has been formed under the coordination of Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel, with former governor Dr. Vijayraj Bhattarai and economist Dr. Bishwa Poudel as members. The committee has started the process of recommending three names to the Council of Ministers for the post of governor. The committee has currently put forward the names of six main candidates.

These candidates include Deputy Governors of the Nepal Rastra Bank Neelam Dhungana and Bam Bahadur Mishra, Board of Directors member Rabindra Pandey, former Chief Secretary Rajendra Kishore Chhetri, National Planning Commission member Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha and former CEO of Nabil Bank Gyanendra Dhungana. Although there has been talk of political leanings among the candidates, no formal party affiliation of any of the candidates has been confirmed.

According to some sources, Neelam Dhungana is considered close to the UML and Rabindra Pandey, Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha and Gyanendra Dhungana are considered close to the Congress. Meanwhile, it has been reported that Prime Minister Oli wants to make Neelam Dhungana the governor and Congress MP and industrialist Binod Chaudhary is trying to make Gyanendra Dhungana the governor.

There is also a possibility of flexibility in the candidature of Dr. Pandey and former Chief Secretary Chhetri, who have crossed the age limit of 65 years. According to Finance Minister Poudel, the governor selection process has reached its final stage and a new governor is expected to be selected soon.