Bihar: RJD's Awadh Bihari Choudhary removed as assembly speaker
Awadh Bihari Chaudhary of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has been removed as the Bihar Assembly's speaker after failing a no-confidence motion moved by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This came ahead of a floor test of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's newly formed government on Monday. Meanwhile, the Budget Session of the House commenced with the governor's customary address earlier on Monday.
Chaudhary refused to step down earlier
Two weeks ago, Kumar abandoned the Mahagathbandhan coalition with the RJD and Congress to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA. Despite the Mahagathbandhan government's collapse, Chaudhary refused to step down as the speaker, leading to the no-confidence motion. The BJP-led alliance, which has a slim majority, was also concerned about a trust vote with an opposition party leader as the speaker.
No-confidence motion passes by 125-112 votes
On Monday, the Bihar Assembly's Budget Session began with a customary speech by Governor Rajendra Arlekar to the members of the bicameral legislature. Following the governor's address, the motion to remove the speaker was moved by the government, which was passed by 125-112 votes. Later, Kumar also sought a trust vote for his new government.
BJP leaders running for speaker's post
Deputy Speaker Maheshwar Hazari of the Janata Dal-United (JDU) clarified that as per the rules, the speaker must relinquish their position once a no-confidence motion is taken up in the assembly. He stated the deputy speaker would thus oversee proceedings until a new speaker is elected. Senior BJP leaders Tarkishor Prasad and Nand Kishor Yadav are reportedly in the running for the speaker's role.
BJP has 78 MLAs, JD(U) 45
Currently, the BJP has 78 MLAs compared to 45 seats held by Kumar's JD(U). Bihar's ruling coalition now comprises a total of 128 MLAs including MLAs from the JD(U), the BJP, and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular). Notably, BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha, who served as the speaker from 2020 until Kumar's abrupt departure from NDA in 2022, is now a deputy chief minister.
