Nepali Congress lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada is poised to elect chairperson of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee unopposed after being the sole candidate to file for the position.

The joint committee of the federal parliament is scheduled to formally endorse his unopposed election at its meeting on Friday evening.

According to Parliament’s General Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey, Khatiwada’s was the only nomination received for the post.

Khatiwada previously chaired the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives but stepped down on August 12 following controversy over a disputed ‘cooling-off period’ provision in the Federal Civil Service Bill.

The hearing committee’s chairmanship was vacant after Nepali Congress lawmaker Ishwari Neupane resigned to take charge of the State Affairs Committee.