Ahead of the newly formed NDA government’s floor test on February 12, political parties in Bihar were busy trying to stay on top of the game with closed-door meetings for their MLAs and measures to keep their flock together. Adding to the suspense, rumour mills in the State were abuzz with news of legislators not showing up at meetings, contacting leaders of rival parties or turning off their mobile offices.
Reports suggested that some Janata Dal (United) legislators were conspicuously absent for the meeting at the residence of senior party leader and Cabinet Minister Shrawan Kumar. Some BJP members allegedly had not yet reached Bodh Gaya, where the party had sequestered its MLAs ahead of the trust vote for a “training” exercise. An MLA of a Left party (an ally of the RJD-led grand alliance) was said to have met with Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi.
All eyes on HAM(S)
The RJD had offered Mr. Manjhi, the rumour mills had it, a Rajya Sabha seat, a Lok Sabha seat and two Cabinet berths. Recently, he had demanded two berths in the newly formed NDA Cabinet.
The former Chief Minister, known as a mercurial leader, was apparently keeping his options open. He had disclosed on Friday that an Opposition party had offered him the post of Chief Minister but did not reveal which party did so. However, in a post on X, he claimed that the HAM(S) would always “stay with Modi ji”.
Santhosh Kumar Suman, Mr. Manjhi’s son and a Minister in the new government, also reaffirmed the party’s faith in the BJP. The party has four MLAs in the State Assembly.
Rumours abound
While the Congress sent 16 of its 19 MLAs to Hyderabad (expected to return to Patna on February 11-12), the BJP sent all its 78 legislators for “training” to Bodh Gaya. The saffron party reportedly made the decision after Mr. Nitish Kumar’s meeting with the top leadership in Delhi. However, rumours surfaced again on Sunday that the Chief Minister feared there would be some cross-voting by a few of his party MLAs who have reportedly gone “incommunicado since last week”.
Significantly, Mr. Nitish Kumar, even after 14 days of swearing in under the new alliance, did not expand his Cabinet in view of the upcoming trust vote.
In the 243-strong Assembly, the NDA had the support of 128 MLAs — 78 legislators of BJP, 45 of JD(U), four of HAM(S) and one independent member; the Opposition mahagathbandhan had 114 MLAs on its side — 79 of RJD, 19 of Congress and 16 of Left parties — and hoped to get the support of the lone AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) MLA, Akhtarul Iman. The other four AIMIM MLAs joined the RJD in June 2022.
Motion against Speaker
The NDA alliance was reportedly planning to move a no-confidence motion against Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary, of the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), an hour before the trust vote. The Speaker had refused to give in to the ruling alliance’s demands and resign from his post, adding that he would only step down based on the results of the floor test. “Why should I resign? I’ve come to know that a no-confidence resolution is pending against me. As per the rules, a no-confidence motion can be brought after 14 days [of giving notice to the Secretary] or on the 14th day. Till then, the Speaker is there,” he had asserted.
In August 2022, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had formed the government with the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) after severing ties with the BJP, the then Speaker and BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha (now the Deputy Chief Minister) resigned from the post by announcing his decision on the floor of the House before a n0-confidence resolution was taken against him.
