Members of the Bihar Assembly have gathered ahead of a crucial floor test for the Nitish Kumar government. JDU legislators displayed confidence, with some making victory gestures, expressing assurance in securing the required numbers for the government’s survival.
As preparations intensified, both the JDU-NDA alliance and the RJD party asserted their majority claims, setting the stage for a high-stakes trust vote. JDU leader Neeraj Kumar conveyed optimism, stating, “Majority will be in favour of NDA. No-confidence motion will be brought against the Speaker, and he will have to leave the chair, and the Deputy Speaker will preside over it…”
In a veiled criticism aimed at the RJD, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain asserted, “Under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, the JDU-NDA government will prove its majority on the floor. Our numbers are going to increase. Nothing will happen no matter what the opposition does. Jungle Raj will not return to Bihar.”
RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari, in anticipation of the floor test, declared that all MLAs were resolved to save Bihar. “Satya pareshan ho sakta hai lekin parajit nahi…In a few hours, everything will be known…Democracy will triumph. All the MLAs have made a resolution to save Bihar and its future, and for that, the current government needs to be removed from power,” he expressed.
Affirming the majority mark, RJD MLA Bhai Virendra stated, “Yes, we have (the majority mark). I have all the numbers…We will be ahead in the floor test…”
The trust vote follows Nitish Kumar’s oath as Bihar’s chief minister for the record ninth time, marking a significant shift in alliances from the Mahagathbandhan to a new government with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Security measures have been heightened around the Bihar Vidhan Sabha in anticipation of the floor test. Rajeev Mishra, SSP Patna, emphasized that the security arrangements inside the House are managed by the assembly’s personnel.
Nitish Kumar’s resignation as chief minister in January, a strategic move following alliance disputes, paved the way for the current political developments. The JD(U), along with its allies BJP and HAM-S, holds a numerical advantage in the House, with the NDA having 128 MLAs against the Mahagathbandhan’s 115. The ruling alliance needs 122 votes to secure a majority.