On 22 July 2025, Team Ekata successfully held a campaign event at Mustang Palace in Lalor, Melbourne, in the lead-up to the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Victoria State Committee elections for the 2025–27 term. With over 250 enthusiastic members of the Nepali community in attendance, the event reflected the growing confidence and support Team Ekata has garnered across Victoria.
The event commenced under the eloquent hosting of K Raj Khanal, who welcomed guests and outlined the significance of the gathering. Devendra Bajgain, Team Ekata’s candidate for Secretary, formally greeted attendees and introduced all State Coordination Council (SCC) candidates, highlighting their roles and prior contributions.
The campaign received added momentum from the presence of national and international figures from the NRNA family, including key members of Team Ekata’s national team and the International Coordination Council (ICC). Distinguished speakers such as Bhuvan Hari Pandey, Birendra Kumar Shrestha, Govinda Rana, Mahendra Karki, Prakash Sedhai, and Santosh Kumar Dahal shared brief yet impactful messages emphasizing Team Ekata’s core values—transparency, integrity, and community-centric leadership.
Bharat Mani Devkota, candidate for General Secretary, introduced candidates for the ICC and National Coordination Council (NCC), reiterating Team Ekata’s mission to bring transformative change. He underlined the importance of visionary leadership and emphasized a forward-thinking agenda built on active engagement, structural reform, and a commitment to inclusivity.
Presidential candidate for Victoria, Drona Pant, delivered a powerful pledge to initiate a “course correction” campaign, starting right from Victoria. Women’s Coordinator Srijana Rayamajhi reaffirmed her enduring commitment to advancing women’s rights and community welfare, while Youth Coordinator Sunrise Gyawali passionately voiced the need for increased youth participation in shaping NRNA’s future.
Crowning the event, Bhairav Dhakal—Team Ekata’s candidate for the National Committee President—delivered a deeply moving and strategic keynote address. Drawing on years of experience within NRNA at both national and international levels, he laid out a comprehensive roadmap for reform. His proposals included state-level helpdesk services, local advisory councils, leadership training for youth and women, and grassroots community outreach initiatives. With the question “How can we truly center the community in our work?” as his guiding compass, Dhakal emphasized that the NRNA must return to its roots as a platform that is owned by, and accountable to, every Nepali abroad. He vowed to rebuild trust through transparency, accessibility, and bold action.
Other NCC candidates—Ganesh Gautam, Ramesh Poudel, and Bharat Devkota—echoed the message of urgent reform. Gautam asserted that only Team Ekata is positioned to steer NRNA in the right direction. Poudel emphasized the need for structural change to ensure transparent governance, while Devkota highlighted how a lack of openness under current leadership had eroded community trust—something he believes Team Ekata is determined and equipped to restore.
The event also drew respected leaders from across the Victorian Nepali diaspora. The honored presence of former Nepali ambassador Chandra Yonjan brought prestige, while prominent community members such as Sachin Yonjan, Basudev Maratha, Shyam Thapa, Indra Adhikari, and Anupam Pathak offered encouragement and expressed their support for the team’s vision. Their endorsement provided further validation of the team’s growing momentum.
Long-standing community leaders Keshav Joshi, Rajan Basnet, and Devi Gyawali also shared their well wishes, describing Team Ekata as a credible and capable force for responsible leadership and transformative change.
More than just a campaign, the Lalor gathering marked the beginning of a larger movement. Team Ekata’s message—rooted in responsibility, inclusiveness, transparency, and unity—has set a new tone in the lead-up to the 2025–27 NRNA Victoria elections, offering the community a bold and hopeful new direction.
