Bihar: Nitish Kumar's government to face trust vote today
A floor test of the new Bihar government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be held on Monday. This comes weeks after he left the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) government with the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Kumar took oath for a record ninth time as the Bihar chief minister on January 28.
Why does this story matter?
The Monday trust vote will be the Kumar-led government's first crucial test since he switched sides for the fourth time in 11 years. Nicknamed "Paltu Ram" for his slippery nature, he has oscillated between alliances with the BJP, the RJD, and the Congress since 2013. In Bihar, the RJD, the BJP, and Kumar's Janata Dal-United (JDU) are the three major parties.
Numbers favor CM Kumar ahead of trust vote
Bihar's new Kumar-led cabinet will have to go through a trust vote to prove that it has the support of the majority of MLAs. Kumar, who joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last month, needs the support of at least 122 MLAs in the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly to remain the CM. The JD(U)-BJP alliance has enough seats to win the floor test.
JD(U)-BJP combine has 128 MLAs
Currently, Bihar's ruling coalition comprises a total of 128 MLAs. These include MLAs from the JD(U), the BJP, and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). It also has the support of an independent MLA. With the backing of these MLAs, Kumar's administration is expected to comfortably prove its majority and win the trust vote on Monday.
JD(U) concerned about 5 missing MLAs
Ahead of the trust vote, the BJP and the JD(U) claimed to have housed their legislators in two separate hotels. BJP leader and Union minister Nityanand Rai claimed all 78 BJP MLAs were at a Patna hotel and would go directly to the assembly for the trust vote. However, the JD(U) remained concerned over five "missing MLAs" skipping a party meeting on Sunday.
More about Kumar, his political game
Kumar often faced accusations of "opportunism," frequently changing partners during his four-decade political career. In 2013, he ended a 17-year NDA partnership after then-Gujarat CM Narendra Modi was announced the prime ministerial candidate. In 2015, Kumar formed the grand alliance with the RJD and Congress but left in 2017 for the BJP. In 2022, he abandoned the BJP but returned to it this year.
