Political parties representing the House of Representatives on Friday discussed holding elections for the new speaker and deputy speaker.

During an all-party meeting, parties discussed holding the elections and decided to finalise the date later, said Dashrath Dhamala, assistant spokesperson of the parliament secretariat.

However, Ramesh Lekhak, chief whip of the Nepali Congress, said parties have agreed to hold the election for Speaker on January 21 and an election for Deputy Speaker on January 23 as proposed by the oldest parliamentarian Pashupati Shumsher Rana.

As per the parliamentary regulations, the House of Representatives shall elect its Speaker within 15 days of its first meeting. The first meeting of the new lower house has been scheduled for January 9.

The meeting also decided to take the business of seeking a vote of confidence from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ahead as per the old regulations. The Prime Minister is set to seek a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on January 10.

Dahal had written to the parliament secretariat asking the latter to include the voting agenda among other agenda items of the House meeting on January 10 and make the necessary arrangements for the same.