Nitish wins Bihar floor test to start fresh CM innings

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar won a trust vote in the assembly on Monday, capping a dramatic few weeks that saw him switch allies, take oath for a record ninth time, and tensions escalate in the days leading up to the floor test.

- Arun Kumar

The ruling coalition got 129 votes in the 243-member assembly after the Opposition walked out, with three members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) changing allegiances and voting with the government. In the debate that preceded the voting, Kumar's former deputy Tejashwi Yadav mocked the CM for frequently changing partners, prompting the Janata Dal (United) chief to hit out at his former allies and blame them for the condition of the impoverished state.

"There was no law and order. The RJD indulged in corrupt practices during its rule (before 2005)... I will get these probed," Kumar said.

Yadav, who was deputy CM between August 2022 and January 2024 when Kumar deserted the alliance and realigned with the BJP, accused the CM of frequent flip-flops.

"There is a lot of talk about Modi ki guarantee. But can he (Modi) guarantee that Nitish Kumar will not take another U-turn? I respected Nitish ji and will continue to respect him. He may have some compulsions for banishing me, who he often described like his son," he said.

The government also won a no-trust vote against speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhury, an RJD leader, with 125 votes in favour of his removal and 112 against.

The ruling alliance has 128 legislators in the assembly and was expected to win the trust vote. But tensions began building up on Saturday after the continued on RJD corralled all of its lawmakers and two of the three alliance parties at Yadav's house. At around the same time, three lawmakers of the BJP and two of the JD(U) went incommunicado, fuelling speculation that the trust vote might see a twist.

But the voting was largely on expected lines.