President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Thursday invited the political parties represented in the Legislature-Parliament to initiate the process to form a majority government.

On the basis of the letter sent by the President, the Parliament Secretariat will form a committee to hold a vote to elect a new prime minister. 

Most probably, the vote will be conducted on Sunday if the main opposition CPN-UML allows the House proceedings. 

The second largest party has been obstructing regular business of Parliament over the disruption in vote count in the Bharatpur Municipality mayoral election. 

The President issued the call after a week’s time given to form a consensus government ended on Wednesday without any agreement among the parties.

So far, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has staked his claim to the post of prime minister with support from coalition partners CPN (Maoist Centre) and Nepal Loktantrik Forum and some fringe parties. The NC and the Maoist Centre have already initiated power-sharing talks.

According to a knowledgeable source in the largest party NC, a small Cabinet will be formed initially. He claimed that the Maoists will take charge of the Home Ministry while the Congress will get the Finance Ministry.

A taskforce formed to work out a power-sharing deal held its first meeting on Wednesday evening at the residence of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi. Nidhi, another DPM and Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Minister for Physical Infrastructure Ramesh Lekhak and Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun discussed the matter.

The Cabinet would be expanded after talks with other parties interested to join the government, said a member of the taskforce.