Page 12 - Bihar Government

Bihar floor test: Newly formed Nitish govt to seek trust vote today

The NDA government in Bihar, formed as a result of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar's latest volte face, will on Monday seek trust vote in the assembly where the numbers are stacked in its favour, but the opposition snaps at its heels. The inaugural day of the budget session will commence with the Governor's customary address to members of the bicameral legislature after which the assembly will take up the no-confidence motion against Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary before the trust vote. Chaudhary, who belongs to RJD, the largest constituent of the 'Mahagathbandhan' which Kumar quit a fortnight ago, has made it clear that he will not step down despite the motion moved by legislators of the NDA soon after the new government was formed. The NDA, which includes JD(U), BJP, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha and an Independent, has a combined strength of 128 MLAs in the 243-strong assembly, six more than the majority mark. The absence of a few MLAs at the JD(U)

Will not be a surprise if Nitish switches again, says BSP's Danish Ali

Nitish took the oath of office for a record ninth time after his stunning 'Ghar Wapsi' to the BJP-led NDA

Bharat Ratna given to Karpoori Thakur for Bihar votes in LS polls: Uddhav

The Narendra Modi government has conferred Bharat Ratna on former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur to get votes from the eastern state in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Sunday. Addressing a gathering of Shiv Sena workers here, Thackeray claimed the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was the forerunner of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had opposed Thakur's decision to give 26 per cent reservation to backward classes in government jobs. "But now the BJP wants votes in the Lok Sabha polls from Bihar so announced the Bharat Ratna for him posthumously. I am happy his (Thakur's) work is being acknowledged after so many years," Thackeray said. The BJP announced Dr S Swaminathan's name for the Bharat Ratna but has failed to implement the recommendation made by a commission headed by him on increasing farm income, Thackeray further said. People can see through this hollowness, Thackeray claimed. The Union government announced five names for the Bhara

JDU MLAs to meet this weekend ahead of trust vote of Nitish Kumar govt

JD(U) legislators in Bihar will go into huddles this weekend ahead of the crucial trust vote to be sought by the Nitish Kumar government, party leaders said on Saturday. They, however, insisted that a luncheon to be hosted by Shrawan Kumar on Saturday and high tea at Vijay Kumar Chaudhary's place a day later are part of a "tradition of the JD(U) before every assembly session". "The party is confident of winning the trust vote on Monday. We usually meet before the beginning of every assembly session. Such gatherings were earlier held at the residences of the two senior party leaders", JD(U) national general secretary Afaque Ahmad Khan told PTI. The views were echoed by Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Shrawan Kumar, both of whom are counted among the most trusted cabinet colleagues of Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president. Both JD(U) leaders have been retained as ministers in the new cabinet of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. While Chaudhary has been a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly si

No confidence against Speaker to be held before trust vote of Nitish govt

The Bihar Assembly on Friday made it clear that Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary will have to face the no-confidence motion moved by the ruling NDA before the newly formed government seeks a trust vote on February 12. The assembly secretariat released the business agenda of the House for Monday, when the budget session will commence, with a customary address by the Governor to members of the bicameral legislature. As per the agenda, released unusually before time, the Governor's speech will be preceded by a preliminary address, to the assembly, by the Speaker. Immediately after Governor's address, the assembly will take up the proposal for removal of the Speaker, which will be followed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seeking a trust vote for the government. Chaudhary belongs to the RJD, which lost power as a result of Kumar's abrupt exit from Mahagathbandhan and return to the BJP-led NDA. Soon after the installation of the NDA government two weeks ago, a no-confidence motion had been

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Bihar's NDA govt will win trust vote, says JD(U) leader Vijay Chaudhary

A key aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday asserted that the newly formed NDA government in the state will win the trust vote, defeating "mala fide intentions of scared detractors". The NDA government in Bihar is scheduled to face a vote of confidence on February 12. Talking to PTI, senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, who has been retained as a minister in the new cabinet, said, "The NDA government will easily win the trust vote. It is very simple... we (NDA) have the majority. "Those (opposition leaders) who are scared of the NDA are spreading rumours about the trust vote. Their intentions are mala fide. What I am saying that the NDA government in the state will win the trust vote is bona fide," Chaudhary, a close confidante of the CM, said. Chaudhary has been a member of the Bihar Assembly since 1982, and is currently holding portfolios of six departments, including parliamentary affairs. "Floor test is basically a number game... and we have the numbers.

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Rahul Gandhi's claims about Bihar caste survey nonsensical: CM Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said Rahul Gandhi's claim that the caste survey in the state was held under the Congress' pressure was nonsensical'. Talking to reporters three days after he dumped the 'Mahagathbandhan' and returned to the BJP-led NDA, Kumar, also the JD(U) president, claimed that he did not like the nomenclature of the opposition bloc INDIA. Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that Kumar was feeling trapped after getting a caste survey conducted under pressure from the Mahagathbandhan partners and the BJP provided him with a way out".

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Newly formed Nitish Kumar-led govt holds its first cabinet meeting in Patna

The newly formed Nitish Kumar-led goverment in Bihar held its first cabinet meeting in Patna on Monday

Speed dating by Nitish and why the BJP embraced him

It is quite likely that Kumar expects to benefit as member of the NDA from the religious fervour built by the inauguration of the Ram temple, Centre's welfare schemes and PM's larger-than-life persona

Lalu to appear before ED in connection with 'Land for Job scam' case

The RJD has accused the BJP of politically targeting its rivals usuing government agencies

'Aaya Kumar, gaya Kumar'?: Congress slams Nitish, says people will reply

The Congress on Monday took a swipe at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with another chameleon barb and 'aaya Kumar, gaya Kumar' jibe at him, a day after the JD(U) leader's latest volte-face in Bihar. Kumar on Sunday resigned as the Chief Minister of Bihar, saying "things were not working well" for him in the Mahagathbandhan or the grand alliance and the opposition bloc INDIA, and formed a new government with the BJP, which he had dumped less than 18 months ago. In a post in Hindi on 'X', Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Girgit ko bhi karni padi naye rang ki khoj, ye shoorveer badalte hain itne rang roz (Even the chameleon had to search for a new colour as these 'warriors' change so many colours everyday)." Speaking with reporters in Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Ramesh said, "What can I say? I said yesterday 'aaya Kumar, gaya Kumar'. Nitish Kumar gives a tough competition to a chameleon." Ramesh swipe was a word play on the ...

Saamana editorial slams Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for returning to NDA

Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana in its editorial has criticised Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for returning to NDA fold

Behind Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's switch: Caste play, Modi's outreach

Bihar CM, who returned to NDA fold, feared significant losses in Lok Sabha polls had he stayed with INDIA bloc

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No question of going anywhere else now, leaving NDA-fold: Nitish Kumar

JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, who took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for a record ninth time on Sunday after a dramatic volte-face, asserted that there is now no question of him going anywhere else, leaving the NDA-fold. Kumar was sworn in by Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar at Raj Bhavan here, hours after he resigned from the post, saying "things were not working well" for him in the Grand Alliance and the opposition bloc INDIA. "I was with them (NDA) earlier, too. We went on different paths, but now we are together and will remain so... I came back to where I was (NDA), and now there is no question of going anywhere else, the 72-year-old leader told reporters after taking oath as the CM. He said a total of eight people took oath on Sunday as ministers, and names of the remaining ones will be decided soon. BJP leaders - Samrat Choudhary and former Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha - will be the deputy chief ministers, Kumar said. Kumar also said he was committed to the development of Bi

Meet Vijay Kumar Sinha, a versatile and an experienced BJP leader

An experienced upper-caste BJP leader, Vijay Kumar Sinha has held posts as varied as the Bihar Assembly Speaker, a cabinet minister and Leader of the Opposition. Sinha, 64, was elected the deputy leader of the BJP legislature party on Sunday, and with this elevation, he is likely to become one of the two deputy CMs in the new NDA government, led by Nitish Kumar. Born to a school teacher in Lakhisarai district, he is enjoying his third consecutive term in the assembly from the eponymous constituency. Sinha, who belongs to the influential Bhumihar community, was an active member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the RSS' student wing, while pursuing a diploma course in civil engineering at a polytechnic in Barauni. Starting off as a grassroots BJP worker, Sinha made his debut in the assembly in 2010 and got a ministerial berth seven years later, when he was given the crucial labour resources department. Seen as a mature leader, he was chosen by the BJP for the job of the ..

Meet Samrat Choudhary, OBC leader whose stock rose rapidly upon joining BJP

An OBC leader of the BJP in Bihar where the party wants to transcend its "pro-upper caste" image, Samrat Choudhary has had a meteoric rise since he joined the outfit nearly seven years ago. Choudhary was elected the leader of the BJP legislature party on Sunday, and with this elevation, he is likely to become one of the two deputy CMs in the new NDA government, led by Nitish Kumar. His father, Shakuni Choudhary was an army man-turned-politician who started off in the Congress, and frequently switched allegiance between arch-rivals Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar. Samrat was a minister in the government headed by Rabri Devi, the RJD supremo's wife, and remained with the party for quite a while after it was ousted from power in 2005. In 2014, he became part of a rebel faction and joined the JD(U) government headed by Jitan Ram Manjhi, who had taken over after Kumar had stepped down. Three years later, he grew disenchanted with the JD(U) and joined the BJP, which recognised his potentia