Sher Bahadur Deuba becomes sole candidate for Nepal PM

Kathmandu: President of the Nepali Congress party Sher Bahadur Deuba was the sole candidate to run for the election of prime minister, the Parliament Secretariat said on Saturday.

Any member of the parliament willing to contest the election was asked to register his or her candidacy for the premiership at the Parliament Secretariat, Xinhua reported.

As the deadline expired on Saturday, Deuba was the sole candidate to file his nomination.

The secretariat said in a statement that Deuba has become the only candidate in the PM election to be held on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal proposed Deuba for the post of prime minister while Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel and leaders from other four political parties backed it.

Media reports said Deuba was set to become prime minister with majority votes in the House this week.

Deuba needs 297 votes in the 593-member parliament to win. His Nepali Congress party holds 207 seats while the CPN (Maoist Centre) has 82 seats. 

Some other small parties have also thrown their weight behind Deuba's candidacy.

Deuba, 70, served as the prime minister from 1995 to 1997, from 2001 to 2002, and from 2004 to 2005.

Nepal decided to form a new government on the basis of majority votes as per the call by President Bidya Devi Bhandari this week following the failure of major parties to form a consensus government.

The new election in the Himalayan nation came after the resignation of Prime Minister Dahal on May 24.