Bihar Floor Test: Nitish Kumar Secures Victory as RJD Walks Out

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar emerged triumphant in the floor test held in the Assembly today, securing a decisive victory with a vote count of 130-0. The session witnessed a significant development as three Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLAs, namely Prahlad Yadav, Neelam Devi, and Chetan Anand, switched allegiance to the NDA bloc.

The trust vote, which unfolded two weeks after Nitish Kumar’s departure from the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) to join the NDA bloc, saw the RJD, led by Tejashwi Yadav, walk out of the House. Addressing the Assembly, Nitish Kumar accused the RJD of attempting to appropriate credit for initiatives he had spearheaded. He further alleged that the Lalu Prasad-Rabri Devi administrations had failed to contribute to Bihar’s development over 15 years.

Preceding the floor test, a no-confidence motion against Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary was raised and passed by the Assembly, garnering 125 votes in favor of his removal. In anticipation of the crucial vote, the Congress transported its MLAs to Hyderabad last week amidst concerns of potential defections, while RJD members chose to remain together at Tejashwi Yadav’s residence. BJP leader Nityanand Rai asserted that all 78 BJP MLAs were lodged at a hotel in Patna, while Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) accommodated 40 of its MLAs in another hotel in the state capital.

Examining the numbers, the NDA government, under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership, appears confident in securing the trust vote. In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the majority mark stands at 122. The NDA coalition claims a majority with 128 members backing the BJP-JD(U) alliance, while the strength of the Mahagathbandhan has dwindled to 114.