Sunday's scheduled meeting of the House of Representatives has been postponed again—until January 20.

The postponement, the third since the winter session commenced on December 20, follows the ruling Nepal Communist Party's failure to decide on the Speaker candidate.

A Secretariat meeting of the ruling party on Saturday had asked Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe to resign. But Tumbahanghe had said she won't step down and that she will chair Sunday's House meeting.

The meeting, however, was postponed after Tumbahanghe on Sunday morning reached Baluwatar where party Co-chairs KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal were holding a meeting to pick the Speaker's candidate.

The Speaker post has remained vacant since early October after Krishna Bahadur Mahara stepped down following attempted rape allegations against him.