Bihar floor test: Nitish confident of winning confidence vote, all party MLAs gather in Patna

The JD(U) has a total of 45 MLAs, excluding the chief minister, who is a member of the Legislative Council.

Patna: Nitish Kumar's JD(U) on Sunday exuded confidence that its national president, who was sworn in as Bihar CM for the ninth time after forming a new government with the BJP, will win Monday's confidence vote.

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, who convened a meeting of the legislative party JD(U), downplayed the absence of “two or three MLAs” and attributed it to “unavoidable circumstances about which they had given advance information.” He emphasized that those absent would be present in the meeting during the floor test.

“We in the NDA have a total strength of 128 MLAs. We sit comfortably in the 243-person group. All our MLAs will be present in the House of Representatives where a vote of no confidence against the Speaker will precede the confidence vote,” Chaudhary said.

The senior JD(U) leader dodged a direct answer on the exact number of MLAs who had skipped the meeting.

“All but two or three were there. Those who did not come had informed the party leadership of the unavoidable circumstances that kept them away. However, they will be present in the House tomorrow,” Chaudhary claimed.

JD(U) sources requesting anonymity said the three MLAs who were not spotted at the meeting were Sudharshan Kumar Singh, Bima Bharti and Dilip Roy.

The JD(U) has a total of 45 MLAs, excluding the chief minister, who is a member of the Legislative Council.

Chaudhary said, “As per the schedule prepared for tomorrow's proceedings, the House will first take up the no-confidence motion against the Speaker. As required by the rules, 38 MLAs will rise to support the motion after which the Speaker will make way for his deputy who will conduct the proceedings until a new Speaker is elected”.

Notably, vice-chairman Maheshwar Hazari belongs to the JD(U), while chairman Awadh Bihari Chaudhary belongs to the RJD, which has lost power due to Nitish Kumar's latest upheaval.

Chaudhary was also questioned about the assertive stand of RJD national spokesperson Manoj Jha, who earlier in the day stressed that the party would continue to fight on the Speaker issue till the end. Jha cited a number of Supreme Court rulings stating that removal would require a vote by a majority of House members

Chaudhary replied, “We know the rules as well as he (Jha). Everything will proceed according to the rules.”

Ahead of the confidence vote, the political temperature is rising in the Bihar capital with all major players working to keep their flock together.

BJP MLAs, who were in Bodh Gaya to attend a two-day workshop, were brought back to the capital late on Sunday evening. The party has 78 MLAs.

Party sources said a number of MLAs had skipped the two-day workshop but did not reveal their names.

The NDA also includes four MLAs from the Hindustani Awam Morcha led by former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has issued a whip amid rumors that he might be tempted by the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan, who has given him the post of chief minister has offered in exchange for a transfer. about.

There is also independent MLA Sumit Kumar Singh, who is also a minister and was present at the meeting of the legislative party JD(U).

Meanwhile, Congress MLAs, who had been stationed in Telangana for a week fearing poaching, returned. The party has 19 MLAs, all of whom have reached 5, Deshratna Marg, the bungalow allotted to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav when he was deputy CM.

RJD MLAs along with their Left allies have been staying at Yadav's residence since Saturday evening and are likely to reach the Vidhan Sabha together on Monday in a show of solidarity.

The Mahagathbandhan, which includes RJD, Congress, CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI and CPI(M), has 114 MLAs.

Moreover, there is one member of the AIMIM, led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who has not revealed his cards.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by India.com staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)