CPN (Maoist Centre)’s provincial assembly member Bhim Bahadur Bhandari has been elected Sudurpaschim Assembly Speaker through a third round of voting.

The motion calling to elect Bhandari to the post presented at the provincial assembly meeting on Tuesday morning received 29 votes.

A total of 11 provincial assembly members of the Maoist Centre, 10 of the UML, seven of the Nagarik Unmukti Party and one of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party voted in favour of Bhandari who was elected to the provincial assembly from Bajhang-2.

The election for a new Speaker was pushed to the third round after the candidates fell short of the majority in the earlier two rounds of voting. A total of 27 votes is required to prove the majority in the 53-strong assembly.

In voting held on Saturday, Bhandari got 22 votes after seven lawmakers of the Nagarik Unmukti Party chose to remain neutral. He had received 26 votes in the first round of the election held on Thursday.

As per a power-sharing deal, the UML and Maoist Centre will lead the provincial government on a rotation basis. Likewise, the parties in the ruling alliance had agreed to share the Speaker post with the Maoist Centre and the deputy Speaker post with the Nagarik Unmukti Party.

Ranjita Shrestha, president of the Nagarik Unmukti Party, on Monday, directed the party’s provincial assembly members to vote for the alliance in the election for a Speaker.