Legislators reach Bihar Vidhan Sabha ahead of trust vote of Nitish government

NEW  DELHI: Legislators have reached the Bihar Assembly ahead of the critical floor test of the Nitish Kumar government. JDU legislators were seen sporting the victory sign as they entered the house. The JDU is confident of scoring the numbers to ensure the government's survival. Amid huddles and shifting of MLAs to secure locations in the state or beyond ahead of the crucial trust vote, both the JDU-NDA alliance and the RJD party claimed to have the majority.

JDU leader Neeraj Kumar said, "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..."

Launching a veiled attack on RJD, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said, "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."

Ahead of the Bihar floor test, RJD leader Mrityunjay Tiwari claimed that all the MLAs have 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," the RJD leader said.

RJD MLA Bhai Virendra said, "Yes, we have (majority mark). I have all the numbers...We will be ahead in the floor test..." The trust vote follows after Nitish took the oath as the chief minister of Bihar for the record ninth time after ditching its alliance with the RJD and forming a government with the BJP. Meanwhile, a heavy security cordon was thrown around the Bihar Vidhan Sabha, ahead of the floor test of the NDA government on Monday led by CM Nitish Kumar.

Rajeev Mishra, SSP Patna said, "Security arrangements have been made in view of the assembly session today. Today is the first day of the session. Whatever happens inside the House, we have nothing to do with it, they have their personnel who make the arrangements for the security inside the House."

Earlier in January, Nitish, who had reportedly gone into a sulk after not being named the convenor of INDIA, the Opposition bloc that took shape through his efforts, dumped the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in Bihar and the national coalition to form a new government with the support of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Putting to rest frenzied speculations around his future and that of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, Nitish resigned as chief minister on January 28, his second volte face in less than 18 months.

The JD(U) has 45 MLAs in the House of 243 while its partners, the BJP and the Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S), have 79 and 4 sitting legislators respectively.

With the support of another Independent MLA, the NDA has 128 MLAs in the House against 115 of the Mahagathbandhan. To go past the majority mark in the House, the ruling alliance needs 122 votes.