By Ranju Kafle

Kathmandu, Jan.12: The process of electing the Speaker in the House of Representatives (HoR) would begin from Sunday. The post is vacant since October 1, 2019 after Krishna Bahadur Mahara resigned.
Mahara is currently at the Dillibazar prison following rape charge against one of his former female staff.
Nepal Communist Party (NCP) leaders Subas Nembang, Agni Sapkota and deputy speaker Shivamaya Tumbahangfe are in the race for the post. However, the party that enjoys comfortable majority in the House, has not yet decided a candidate for the post yet.
The meeting of HoR on Sunday will announce the date for the election.
If the meeting on Sunday would not be scrapped then the filing of nomination for the post and fixation of the election date would be announced.
Incumbent Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe is expected to tender her resignation from the post on Sunday because NCP Secretariat meeting on Saturday evening decided to ask her to tender her resignation.
Party spokesperson Narayankaji Shrestha said that the Secretariat meeting decided to ask the deputy speaker to put her paper and take part in the speaker election. “However the names have not been finalised yet, we will claim the vacant speaker post,” he said.
Talking with The Rising Nepal, Tumbahamphe said that she would respond only on Sunday.
She has claimed the post of the Speaker. As per the constitutional provision, the ruling party cannot stake claim for both posts because the speaker and deputy speaker should represent different parties. Her resignation is mandatory for the party to take part in the election. Not only this, Tumbahamphe must resign to file her candidacy for the post.
Though the constitutional provision restricts the same party to hold the post of speaker and deputy speaker, NCP had kept it because Mahara who had represented the then CPN-MC and Tumbahamphe the then CPN-UML belonged to tow different parties at the time of their appointment.
Until Saturday, NCP chairs KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda had not finalised the nominees for the speaker’s post. According to the sources, they were favouring for the experienced one. In this context, former speaker Nembang is the clear front runner.
As far as the post of deputy speaker is concerned, the RJP-N may get the post as part of a broader understanding reached between the RJP-N and the NCP when the two agreed to cooperate for the upcoming election of the National Assembly slated for January 23.