Bihar Floor Test Today Highlights: The Mahagathbandhan of seven parties under the leadership of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday won the trust vote in the Bihar Assembly, and called for a united Opposition to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. A total of 160 MLAs voted in favour of the confidence motion moved by the government while no votes were polled against it as the BJP staged a walkout from the Assembly during Nitish Kumar’s address. Speaking in the Assembly, Kumar said, “We (RJD and JDU) have taken the pledge to work together for the development of Bihar. Leaders from across the country called me and congratulated me on this decision and I urged all of them to fight together in the 2024 elections.” In his speech, the Chief Minister also blamed the Centre of taking credit for the schemes that were rolled out by the state government.
Also read| Bihar political crisis: Nitish Kumar takes oath as CM of Bihar for record 8th time, Tejashwi Yadav returns as Deputy CM
Earlier in the day, Bihar Assembly Speaker VK Sinha tendered his resignation ahead of the trust vote, saying that the no-confidence motion against him was passed in an unfair manner. The election for the new Bihar Assembly Speaker will take place on August 26, Maheshwar Hazari, Deputy Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, announced before adjourning the House till Friday.
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CBI is conducting a raid at a mall in Gurugram, Haryana. I have got information that this mall which is currently being raided by CBI was inaugurated by a BJP MP. Don't know why my name is being dragged into this, a narrative is being created by some: Tejashwi Yadav (ANI)
The election for Bihar Assembly Speaker will take place on August 26, says Maheshwar Hazari, Deputy Speaker. (ANI)
The confidence motion was passed by voice vote. However, upon request by members a voting is now being taken.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar wins trust vote in the Bihar Assembly.
"In 2010, they were our friends, minorities also supported us in Gaya. And today, in Gaya, what all are they saying. So, their work in only to create chaos in the society," Kumar says.
BJP leaders stage walkout as Nitish Kumar speaks in Assembly.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar begins speech at Assembly.
Today, if you ask a child in Bihar about Enforcement Directorate, CBI and Income Tax, even they will say these agencies work for the BJP: Tejashwi Yadav.
"We are cricketers and this pair (RJD and JDU) is going to have a never-ending partnership. This is going to be the longest inning, this partnership will be working for the development of Bihar and the country. No one is getting run out this time," Tejashwi Yadav says. (ANI)
"When BJP fears or loses in the state, it puts ahead its three 'jamai' (son-in-law), CBI, ED and IT... When I go to foreign countries, BJP issues lookout notices against me and when fraudsters like Nirav Modi run away, they don't do anything," Tejashwi Yadav says. (ANI)
After the resignation of VK Sinha, ruling party JD(U)'s Narendra Narayan Yadav is overlooking the floor test at Bihar Assembly.
Floor Test to prove the incumbent Nitish Kumar government's majority has begun.
"In the same House that gave me the honour of being the Speaker, I had said earlier that I won't resign outside. I'll speak on matters related to the Assembly, in the Assembly. I presented the entire issue before all MLAs," BJP MLA VK Sinha told ANI after resigning from the Speaker's post.
VK Sinha has decided to skip the no-confidence motion moved against him by the ruling alliance MLAs, and has resigned from the Speaker's post ahead of the trust vote.
"I would like to tell you that your No Confidence Motion moved against me is unclear. Eight of the nine people's letters, which were received, were not as per rule," said Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha. (ANI)
Always tried to maintain the decorum in the House...After this government came to power, I would have resigned. However, I got to know that they have moved a resolution against my removal. In this situation, its my moral duty to give answers to them, said Speaker VK Sinha
Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha has begun his address at the Bihar Assembly. He faces a no-confidence against him.
Rabri Devi said that there is a witch-hunt against her and her family and she is not afraid of these CBI raids. 'The BJP is afraid as they have lost control of the state government,' said Devi.
CPI-ML MLAs, from the 'Mahagathbandhan,' are demanding resignation of the Bihar Assembly Speaker in front of the Vidhan Sabha in Patna.
Nitish Kumar’s bete noire, Sinha has had several run-ins with the Bihar CM. Nitish, on his part, has not been particularly too fond of the Speaker either and is believed to have repeatedly demanded that he be removed from the post. The BJP, however, did not heed to Nitish’s demands.
A dedicated worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Sinha has served as MLA from Lakhisarai, winning the constituency three times in a row since 2010. A Bhumihar leader, he is an engineer by qualification and also the first leader of the BJP to be appointed the Speaker of the state Assembly.
Pointing out at the predictability of the CBI raids, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said that Bihar's Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had already warned on Tuesday evening that the BJP can go to great lengths before the trust vote.
RJD MLC Sunil Singh, whose house is being raided, called it an act of desperation by the BJP in a bid to scare Opposition MLAs in the state, and get their support for the trust vote somehow. "It is being done intentionally. There is no meaning to it. They are doing it thinking that out of fear, MLAs will come in their favor," Singh, who is also the chairperson of Biscomaun Patna, told news agency ANI.
On a day when the JD(U)-RJD government faces trust vote on the floor of the Bihar Assembly, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday raided the residences of two senior RJD leaders in connection with the "land-for-jobs" scam case that had allegedly taken place when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union Railway Minister under the UPA-I government.
"I am at present occupying the Chair and shall be bound by the norms associated with the constitutional office. My priority will be to discharge my duties in accordance with the rules," says Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha, against whom a no-confidence motion has been moved by the ruling alliance MLAs.
The floor test is generally conducted by a Speaker. However, with the government moving a no-confidence motion against incumbent Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha following his refusal to resign, the matter could get tricky. While the Nitish-led Grand Alliance wants the Deputy Speaker Maheshwar Hazari to preside over the floor test, there is no clarity on which motion will be taken up first – the confidence motion of the government to prove its majority, or the no-confidence motion against the Speaker. The Speaker cannot preside over the house when a no-confidence motion has already been moved against him.
As many as seven parties are supporting the Bihar ‘Mahagathbandhan’ government. The parties that are supporting the ruling alliance are JD(U) with 45 MLAs, RJD with 79 MLAs, Congress with 19 MLAs, CPI-ML with 12 MLAs, former Bihar Chief Minister Jiten Ram Majhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) with 4 MLAs and 2 each from CPI and CPM. Independent legislator and state minister Sumit Kumar Singh has also extended his support to the ruling ‘Grand Alliance.’
In the 243-member Bihar Vidhan Sabha, the majority or the magic number is 122. The ruling alliance, including the single-largest party RJD, boasts of 163 MLAs and is slated to sail through the floor test tomorrow. On the other hand, the BJP has only 77 MLAs.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has raided the houses of two RJD MLCs Subodh Roy and Sunil Singh and two RJD MPs Ashfaque Karim and Faiyaz Ahmad ahead of the Bihar trust vote in connection with the land-for-jobs 'scam' that took allegedly took place when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Union Railway Minister between 2004-09. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday will face a trust vote on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha. Earlier this month, Kumar stepped down as Bihar CM after walking out of the BJP-led NDA alliance. After joining hands with RJD and Congress, Kumar was sworn in as the Bihar CM on August 10 for a record eighth time.
In his first cabinet meeting after taking charge, Kumar decided to convene a special Assembly session on August 24 in order to prove the Mahagathbandhan's majority on the Assembly floor. In the 243-member Bihar Assembly, the 'Mahagathbandhan' enjoys the support of 164 MLAs.