“Parties, Except Nitish Kumar’s JDU, Relocate MLAs to ‘Safehouses’ Ahead of Trust Vote”

Ahead of the trust vote in Bihar, all political parties, except for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JDU, have taken measures to safeguard their MLAs by relocating them to “safehouses” on Sunday to prevent any potential attempts of poaching.

Late on Sunday evening, a dramatic scene unfolded outside the residence of RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav. A large police contingent, led by Patna City’s superintendent of police Chandra Prakash, arrived following a complaint from “bahubali” and former MP Anand Mohan’s younger son, Anshuman Anand. Anshuman had raised concerns about his elder brother, RJD MLA Chetan Anand, who was reported missing and unresponsive over the phone. Chetan had been residing at Tejashwi’s residence along with other Mahagathbandhan MLAs ahead of the scheduled floor test on Monday.

Following the police visit, 16 Bihar Congress MLAs, who had recently arrived from Hyderabad and were staying at Tejashwi’s residence, departed, citing cramped conditions. They assured their presence in the Assembly before the floor test on Monday.

The stage is now set for a contentious showdown in the Assembly on Monday, with Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, belonging to the Opposition RJD, releasing the provisional agenda for the budget session without including the no-confidence motion brought against him by the NDA. This indicates his resolve to oversee the proceedings.

Nitish Kumar has expressed his reluctance to undergo a trust vote without replacing Chaudhary, aiming to avoid any potential political maneuvering by the Opposition.

The no-confidence motion against the Speaker is anticipated to gauge the strength of the opposing factions before the trust vote. If Chaudhary retains his position, the government will be deemed to be in the minority and would consequently fall.

RJD Rajya Sabha member Manoj Kumar Jha has challenged the NDA to adhere to constitutional provisions in removing the Speaker, highlighting the need for 122 MLAs’ support as per constitutional requirements.

Currently, the NDA holds 128 MLAs, while the Mahagathbandhan has 114 in the 243-member House, with one AIMIM member remaining unaligned.

Deputy Speaker Maheshwar Hazari, from the JDU, has called for adherence to the Assembly’s business rules, urging Chaudhary to resign to maintain the dignity of the post.

JDU legislators convened at Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary’s residence, where Nitish Kumar reassured them of victory in the trust vote.

Despite some absentees at the meeting, Minister Choudhary affirmed their presence for the trust vote, attributing the absence to unavoidable reasons.

Meanwhile, the Mahagathbandhan has confined 78 of RJD’s 79 MLAs and 16 MLAs from the Left parties to Tejashwi Prasad Yadav’s residence.