SINGAPORE - A total of 41 people have applied to be Nominated MPs (NMPs), said Parliament after submissions closed on Tuesday afternoon.

As of 3.30pm on Tuesday, an hour before the deadline, nine people had dropped off application forms at Parliament House.

Four more people submitted their applications in the next hour, including representatives for the Singapore Computer Society and the People's Association. Both bodies put forward at least one name each.

Two individuals submitted the forms for themselves.

One of them is Mr David Lee, 50, who runs an events management company. The other man declined to be named, and would only say that he belongs to the Singapore Institute of Accredited Tax Professionals.

The organisation has more than 1,000 people who work on tax matters as members.

The rest declined to say who they were submitting the forms for.

There was some drama after applications closed at 4.30pm, with former independent election candidate Ooi Boon Ewe, 74, turning up at 4.40pm to submit his forms. He told reporters he thought the deadline was 5pm.

NMPs are meant to provide alternative voices in Parliament. The scheme was introduced in 1990 and allows for up to nine people to be chosen for Parliament.

A special select committee of eight MPs chaired by Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob will consider the applications as well as other MPs' views of those who applied. They will interview shortlisted candidates, agree on the final nominees and recommend them to President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who appoints the NMPs.

At least 11 people turned up on Monday to submit applications. They include history academic Liew Kai Khiun, 43, former opposition politician Eric Tan, 61, arts activist Felicia Low, 39, and business owner Mohamed Nawaz, 36.