The drubbing the BJP got in the Delhi election apparently has made the party back off from lending overt support to Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi in the power tussle within the Janata Dal (United).
“It is an internal matter of the JD(U), but the BJP is keenly watching the events. As a responsible and Opposition party, we will take a decision on the floor of the Assembly. All our options are open,” party spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said here on Wednesday.
While the party awaits the decision of the Bihar Governor on asking Mr. Manjhi to seek a trust vote on the floor of the Assembly, the government is seeking legal opinion on whether an early Assembly session could be called for a confidence vote, informed sources told The Hindu .
The Bihar Assembly is slated to meet on February 20 for the budget session, but the newly elected leader of the Janata Dal (United) Legislature Party Nitish Kumar has sought an early session to prove his majority.
Mr. Manjhi’s trump card is that he belongs to the Mahadalit community which comprises 22 per cent of the population and by covertly backing the Chief Minister, the BJP is eyeing that crucial vote bank. Elections are due in the State in six months.
The question is whether Mr. Manjhi would step down conceding that he does not have the numbers or whether he would play the martyr and quit on the floor of the Assembly, party sources said.
The BJP criticised the former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for showing “impatience” to lead the government after quitting earlier.
