KATHMANDU: Only one candidacy – that of the Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba - has been filed so far for the election of the 40th Prime Minister of the country.

The Parliament Secretariat had fixed 11:00am to 4:00pm today as the time for registering candidacy for the post of the Prime Minister.

Spokesperson for the Parliament Secretariat,  Bharat Raj Gautam, said that although Deuba's lone candidacy has been registered within the stipulated time, the Parliament needed to go ahead with the election process.

He said the Parliament Secretariat has set the agenda for the parliament meeting on Sunday, according to which, the proposer and the supporter shall make statements to be followed by voting for the Prime Minister.

As per the Legislature-Parliament Business Operation Regulations, the election process has to be fulfilled even if there is a lone candidacy. The main opposition CPN-UML did not file candidacy within the deadline.

The NC president needs the support of 297 out of the existing 593 lawmakers for majority to get elected to the post of Prime Minister.

CPN Maoist Centre chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal proposed for Deuba's candidacy while Nepali Congress senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel, chairman of Nepal Democratic Forum Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, Jayadev Joshi of the CPN (United), Kumar Khadka of the Akhanda Party and Prem Bahadur Singh of the Samajbadi Janata Dal seconded the proposal.

The election for a new Prime Minister is taking place after Prime Minister Dahal resigned from his post on May 24.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari on May 31 sent a letter to the Parliament to elect the Prime Minister through majority voting process after the parties missed the earlier deadline given by her to form a consensus government.

Deuba is becoming the Prime Minister on the basis of the gentleman's agreement reached between the Nepali Congress and the CPN Maoist Centre at the time of the formation of the present Dahal-led government.