CPN-UML’s Dev Raj Ghimire has filed his candidacy for Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Ghimire, elected from Jhapa-2 in November 20 polls, filed his candidacy on Wednesday. The UML Standing Committee member is a former member of National Assembly, the upper house.

UML’s vice-chair Subas Nembang proposed Ghimire’s candidacy while registering his nomination at the parliament secretariat.

Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane; Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Rajendra Lingden; and CPN (Maoist Centre) lawmaker Hitraj Pandey have seconded the proposal. Lamichhane and Lingden are chiefs of Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party respectively.

As per the power-sharing deal in the ruling coalition, the UML has claimed the post of the Speaker while a member of the Rastriya Swatantra Party will file for candidacy for the post of Deputy Speaker.

The parliament will elect the Speaker on Thursday while the Deputy Speaker will be elected later on.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress, the largest party in the lower house, has decided to field the party’s lawmaker Ishwari Neupane for the post of Speaker.