Bihar: Nitish Kumar passes floor test with 130 MLAs' support
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sailed through the much-anticipated floor test on Monday as his government won a vote of confidence in the legislative assembly. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government—comprising Kumar's Janata Dal (United) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—secured 130 votes in the 243-member assembly. The triumph came as Kumar's former Mahgathbandhan ally, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), staged a walkout.
Why does this story matter?
The Monday trust vote was 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 multiple times between alliances with the BJP, the RJD, and the Congress since 2013. In Bihar, the JD(U), the BJP, and the RJD are the three major parties.
CM Kumar wins Bihar floor test
Kumar slams RJD for stealing credit
Speaking in the assembly before the trust vote, Kumar slammed his former ally, the RJD. He alleged the party, led by Lalu Prasad Yadav, was trying to take credit for several initiatives he had started as chief minister. Kumar also claimed during its 15-year tenure, the RJD government led by Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi had not done anything to help Bihar's development.
Yadav family 'symbol of corruption': Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary
Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary also accused the Yadav family of being "the symbol of corruption." He alleged that the RJD wanted to turn Bihar into "Mafia Raj." Separately, on Monday morning, three RJD MLAs switched to the NDA bloc ahead of the trust vote. The MLAs included Chetan Anand, Neelam Devi, and Prahlad Yadav, who announced the decision after the session started.
RJD's Tejashwi Yadav slams NDA-JD(U) combine
Before the trust vote could start, Kumar's one-time ally, the RJD, led by former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, walked out of the House. Earlier, he targeted Kumar for switching sides and slammed the NDA-JD(U) alliance. "Can PM Modi guarantee that Nitish won't switch camps again?" he asked Yadav also urged the ruling government to "bring back the old pension scheme" in the state.
RJD's Awadh Choudhary removed as assembly speaker
Ahead of the trust vote, the RJD's Awadh Bihari Choudhary was removed as the assembly speaker after failing a no-confidence motion moved by the NDA. Two weeks ago, Kumar abandoned the Mahagathbandhan coalition with the RJD and Congress to join hands with the BJP-led NDA. Despite the Mahagathbandhan government's collapse, Chaudhary had refused to step down as speaker, leading to the no-confidence motion.
