Ruling CPN has decided to make Agni Sapkota the party's candidate for speaker.
The secretariat meeting held at the PM's official residence in Baluwatar Sunday afternoon took the decision to that regard, according to CPN General Secretary Bishnu Paudel. The meeting has also urged Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe to resign.
CPN Chairmen KP Sharma and Puhspa Kamal Dahal during the meeting in Baluwatar earlier on Sunday had agreed to make the three-time lawmaker from Sindhupalchowk district the speaker. Sapkota has twice served as Cabinet minister.
Both the former CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) factions were claiming for the post of speaker. Oli wished to make former Constituent Assembly chairman Subas Chandra Nembang the speaker while Dahal had been insisting that Agni Sapkota from the Maoist faction should get the post. The Maoist faction pointed that it should again get the post it had received during the power sharing before party unification.
Deputy Speaker Tumbahamnghe's own claim for the post and refusal to resign if denied had compounded matters for the party.
The post of speaker is vacant after Krishna Bahadur Mahara resigned following rape allegation by a federal parliament secretariat staffer.
