Nitish Kumar took oath for the ninth time on January 28.
The Bihar assembly will witness a crucial floor test on Monday, following Nitish Kumar”s departure from the Mahagathbandhan in the state to partner with the BJP-led NDA. This move marked his unprecedented ninth oath-taking ceremony on January 28. Today, the reconstituted NDA government faces a test of its strength. This trust vote marks the start of the budget session in the state assembly.
The ruling JD(U), led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, relocated its MLAs to the Chanakya Hotel in Patna this morning. On Sunday night, stringent security measures were put in place around the residence of former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, where RJD MLAs are lodged. This security deployment followed claims by the family of RJD MLA Chetan Yadav that he had been “kidnapped” by Lalu Prasad Yadav”s party.
BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain hit out at Tejashwi Yadav over Chatan Yadav’s family”s ‘kidnapping’ claims, saying, if he keeps any MLA “tied up in the house then the police will definitely take action.”
The BJP-JD(U) alliance has 128 seats in the 243-member Bihar assembly, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 122. Of these, the BJP holds 78 seats, Janata Dal United led by Nitish Kumar has 45, and Jitan Ram Manjhi”s Hindustan Awam Morcha has four seats, while one seat is held by an Independent MLA. On the other side, the Opposition coalition of Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress has 114 seats.
Meanwhile, Bihar assembly Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary, affiliated with RJD, faces a no-confidence motion as several leaders from the BJP-led NDA push for his removal. The motion against the Speaker will be addressed immediately following the Governor”s opening address on the first day of the budget session.
RJD MP Manoj Jha said that the JD(U) and BJP require the votes of at least half of the total members to oust the Speaker, a challenge that the NDA is likely to overcome given its numerical strength. There is speculation that Choudhary may step down today before being voted out.
Nitish Kumar”s discontent with the functioning of the grand alliance in the state and his dissatisfaction with the lack of clarity in the INDIA bloc”s election preparations apparently led him to dump his partners and ally with the BJP, despite having parted ways less than 18 months ago.
