CALGARY, Alberta: The Nepali Community Society of Calgary (NCSC) has elected a new executive committee following a competitive election that recorded an impressive 86.3 percent voter turnout, reflecting strong community participation and confidence in the organisation.
The election, held on Saturday through the independent third-party online voting platform Simply Voting Inc., resulted in Ghanendra Neupane being elected as President after securing 753 votes (56.4 percent). His closest competitor, Surya Adhikari, received 583 votes (43.6 percent).
According to the Election Committee, 1,360 out of the organisation’s 1,576 registered members participated in the voting process. The high voter turnout was seen as a significant indication of members’ trust in the institution, their sense of responsibility, and the growing engagement of Calgary’s Nepali community.
Arun Lama was elected Vice President after receiving 702 votes (53.2 percent), defeating Yuvraj Gurung, who secured 618 votes (46.8 percent).
For the position of Secretary, Bishwanath Bhandari won with 701 votes (53.5 percent), while his opponent Suman Chaulagain received 610 votes (46.5 percent).
The contest for Treasurer was one of the closest races in the election. Dhruva Niraula was elected with 666 votes (51.2 percent), narrowly defeating Shraddha Rupakheti, who received 636 votes (48.8 percent).
Ramesh Basnet was elected Joint Secretary with 776 votes (60.5 percent), while Nabin Poudel received 507 votes (39.5 percent).
For the position of Programme Coordinator, Krishna Gautam secured victory with 710 votes (54.3 percent), defeating Kisan Gurung, who received 598 votes (45.7 percent).
Kamal Poudel was elected Media Coordinator with 793 votes (61.7 percent), while Laxmi Lamsal Khanal received 493 votes (38.3 percent).
The election for Women’s Coordinator was the most closely contested race. Geeta Sharma won the position with 660 votes (50.8 percent), defeating Narayani Adhikari Dhakal by a margin of just 20 votes. Dhakal received 640 votes (49.2 percent), demonstrating the importance of every vote in the democratic process.
For the position of Culture and Heritage Coordinator, Pooja Shivakoti was elected with 762 votes (59.5 percent), while Krishna Poudel received 519 votes (40.5 percent).
Yogendra Khatri won the position of Youth and Sports Coordinator with 763 votes (59.1 percent), defeating Santosh Devkota, who secured 527 votes (40.9 percent).
For Senior Citizens and Newcomers Coordinator, Bhimlal Aryal was elected with 794 votes (61 percent), while Diana Tamrakar received 508 votes (39 percent).
The Nepali Community Society of Calgary (NCSC) is a non-profit organisation representing Nepalis living in Alberta. The organisation works to preserve and promote the Nepali language, arts, culture, and heritage while supporting newcomers through settlement assistance, community programmes, and educational initiatives, including Nepali language classes for children.
The organisation’s annual Nepali Mela is recognised as the largest cultural festival of Calgary’s Nepali community. The event celebrates Nepal’s rich cultural traditions and provides a platform to strengthen connections between the Nepali diaspora and Canada’s multicultural society.
The newly elected executive committee is expected to focus on strengthening institutional governance, increasing member participation, engaging younger generations, and expanding programmes that support newly arrived Nepalis.
The strong voter turnout in Saturday’s election reflects the growing commitment of Calgary’s Nepali community towards its shared institution, cultural heritage, language, and social unity.
