Bihar: JDU exudes confidence in winning trust vote ahead of floor test today

PATNA: Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal United (JDU) exuded confidence that the party's president will win the trust vote during the crucial floor test scheduled on Monday, two weeks after he ditched its alliance with the RJD and formed a government with the BJP. The trust vote will follow after Nitish took the oath as the chief minister of Bihar for the record ninth time.

JD(U) national secretary Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said, "Under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar, we will get the majority and the government will complete its tenure." A heavy security cordon was thrown around the residence of the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, in Patna on Sunday.

Amid huddles and shifting of MLAs to secure locations in the state or beyond ahead of the crucial trust vote, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alleged that the police personnel "wanted to enter (Tejashwi's) residence on any pretext and orchestrate untoward incidents against party MLAs".

"Nitish Kumar has sent thousands of police and surrounded Tejashwi ji's residence from all sides. They want to enter the residence on any pretext and do untoward incidents with the MLAs," read a post on the official X handle of RJD. The party added that it will not 'bow down' in the ongoing 'ideological struggle'.

"The people of Bihar are watching the misdeeds of Nitish Kumar and the police. Remember, we are not among those who fear and bow down. This is a struggle of ideology and we will fight it and win because the justice-loving people of Bihar will oppose this police repression. Jai Bihar! Jai Hind," the party added.

On the police deployment outside Tejashwi's residence, RJD spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav told ANI, "This has never happened (earlier) in any state in independent India. It's a legislative meeting (underway at Tejashwi's residence). Agar BJP kare (meeting) to 'raasleela' agar RJD kare toh 'character dheela (if BJP holds a similar meeting its deemed fine, but when the RJD goes into a huddle, they are frowned upon)."

Amid the RJD crying foul over the heavy police deployment outside Tejashwi's Patna residence, BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said the police were merely doing their job. "If you (Tejashwi Yadav) kidnap the MLAs and any MLA's relative file a complaint, the police will surely come. If you (Tejashwi Yadav) keep any MLA tied up in your house, the police will surely take action.

They (police) are only doing their job," Hussain said. The BJP leader added that no MLA from either the BJP or its ruling partner, JD(U), was missing, adding that the Opposition was spreading canards that three MLAs of the BJP and the JDU were unreachable. "RJD and Congress are only spreading confusion.

The JD(U) and the BJP will together prove majority on the Assembly floor. No one (MLAs) is out of reach and everyone is in touch with us. They are spreading canards. All NDA MLAs are together. They should stop worrying about our MLAs and focus on their missing legislators," the BJP leader added.

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.