PATNA, June 18: Amid hectic political activities, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will seek a confidence vote tomorrow at a special session of Bihar Assembly to prove his majority after JD(U) parted ways with ally BJP.
Assembly sources said though the session has been called for passing some Bill or other important issues, this would be first occasion of its kind in the state in which an incumbent government has to seek confidence of the House.
Kumar, in the capacity of the Leader of the House, would move a motion seeking vote of confidence which would be put to vote, if need be, after discussion.
Arrangements were being made in the House to place BJP MLAs in the opposition bench in the changed circumstances.
After sacking 11 BJP ministers from his Cabinet, Kumar had met Governor D Y Patil on Sunday and requested him to call a special session of the Assembly.
Going by numbers, there is no threat to the Nitish Kumar government as it has the required strength. In the 243-member House, JD(U) has 118 members, including Speaker, BJP 91, RJD 22, Congress 4, LJP and CPI one each and Independents 6.
JD(U) needs support of four more MLAs to reach the magic figure of 122. It has already got support of four Independents who had attended a JD(U) meeting yesterday where party president Sharad Yadav was also present.
Lone LJP member Zakir Hussain Khan has also voiced his support to Nitish Kumar in the event of voting as he does not want to be seen with “communal BJP”.
Of the two remaining Independents, Dilip Verma from Sikta in West Champaran district had gone on record saying he would side with BJP and vote against JD(U) as “the country needs Narendra Modi today”.
The sixth Independent Jyoti Rashmi from Dehri in Rohtas district has still not made up her mind. Her husband and former MLA Pradeep Joshi said she would vote for the government only if it bans liquor trade.
The four-member Congress Legislature Party has decided to abstain from voting.
“Though we are waiting for a direction from the central leadership, we four MLAs have come to the conclusion that we would abstain from voting,” CLP Sadanand Singh told.
RJD is categorical in opposing the confidence vote.
“My party will definitely vote against the Nitish Kumar government during the trust vote,” RJD president Lalu Prasad told reporters here.
To a question if there was any chance of his party MLAs defecting to JD(U), Prasad asked, “Who would like to board a sinking ship?”
Though tomorrow’s special session on all account will be volatile, the two estranged friends Nitish Kumar and his hitherto Deputy Sushil Kumar Modi may not cross sword as the BJP leader is a member of the Legislative Council.
Kumar is also an MLC, but in the capacity of Leader of the lower House on virtue of being the chief minister, Kumar will move confidence motion but cannot vote.
In the run up to tomorrow’s crucial voting, JD(U) and BJP workers clashed today during “Bihar bandh” called by the saffron party, giving ample indications that the special session would be action packed. (PTI)
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