Editor's Pick | NDA govt. wins Bihar trust vote; Opposition walks out

Cementing his ninth term as Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar and his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government won the floor test in the Bihar Assembly on Monday with the support of 129 MLAs. Three legislators of the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) voted in favour of the government amid a walkout by all non-NDA MLAs. The government needed the support of at least 122 MLAs to win the majority test in the the 243-member Assembly. Ahead of the trust vote, Bihar Assembly Speaker and RJD leader Awadh Bihari Choudhary, who had earlier refused to resign, was removed with 125 MLAs voting in favour of the motion and 112 opposing it. Deputy Speaker Maheshwar Hazari of the JD(U) then chaired the House. After the House passed the resolution for the removal of the Speaker, Mr. Kumar moved the motion seeking trust vote for the new NDA government he had formed with the BJP on January 28. The motion was passed 129-0 through voice vote after the Opposition walked out from the House. The NDA, comprising the BJP, Janata Dal (United), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and an Independent MLA, had support of 128 MLAs while the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of the RJD, Congress, and Left parties had the support of 114 legislators. One MLA of Asaduddin Owaisi’s All Indian Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Akhtarul Iman, was undecided. During the floor test, JD(U) member Dilip Kumar Ray was absent and party MLA Hazari did not vote as he was in the Chair. Three MLAs from RJD - Prahlad Yadav, Nilam Devi and Chetan Anand - switched sides to vote in favour of the NDA. Mr. Prahlad Yadav was a founder-member of the RJD and is a three-time MLA from Suryagraha Assembly constituency in Lakhisarai district. Ms. Devi had won the Assembly byelection from Mokama constituency in 2022 after her husband and bahubali (strongman) Anant Singh was disqualified. Senior BJP leader Nand Kishor Yadav is likely to be the new Speaker of the Assembly. Mr. Kumar had previously switched alliances in 2022, allying with the Mahagathbandhan after ties with BJP soured. Overall, Mr. Kumar has jumped to and fro between the BJP and the RJD four times, always keeping the Chief Minister post with him. The Hindu’s Editorials Pakistan in turmoil: On the Pakistan elections and results The real travesty: On the Governor of Tamil Nadu and the Governor’s address The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Who is the president of the European Council? Ursula von der Leyen Robert Metsola Charles Michel Jean-Claude Juncker To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 13 February 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]Open in browser [Mail icon]More newsletters NDA govt. wins Bihar trust vote; Opposition walks out Cementing his ninth term as Bihar Chief Minister, [Nitish Kumar]( and his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government won the floor test in the Bihar Assembly on Monday with the support of 129 MLAs. Three legislators of the Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) [voted]( in favour of the government amid a walkout by all non-NDA MLAs. The government needed the support of at least 122 MLAs to win the majority test in the the 243-member Assembly. Ahead of the trust vote, Bihar Assembly Speaker and RJD leader Awadh Bihari Choudhary, who had earlier refused to resign, was removed with 125 MLAs voting in favour of the motion and 112 opposing it. Deputy Speaker Maheshwar Hazari of the JD(U) then chaired the House. After the House passed the resolution for the removal of the Speaker, Mr. Kumar moved the motion seeking trust vote for the new NDA government he had formed with the BJP on January 28. The motion was passed 129-0 through voice vote after the Opposition walked out from the House. The NDA, comprising the BJP, Janata Dal (United), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and an Independent MLA, had support of 128 MLAs while the Opposition Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) of the RJD, Congress, and Left parties had the support of 114 legislators. One MLA of Asaduddin Owaisi’s All Indian Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Akhtarul Iman, was undecided. During the floor test, JD(U) member Dilip Kumar Ray was absent and party MLA Hazari did not vote as he was in the Chair. Three MLAs from RJD - Prahlad Yadav, Nilam Devi and Chetan Anand - switched sides to vote in favour of the NDA. Mr. Prahlad Yadav was a founder-member of the RJD and is a three-time MLA from Suryagraha Assembly constituency in Lakhisarai district. Ms. Devi had won the Assembly byelection from Mokama constituency in 2022 after her husband and bahubali (strongman) Anant Singh was disqualified. Senior BJP leader Nand Kishor Yadav is likely to be the new Speaker of the Assembly. Mr. Kumar had previously [switched]( alliances in 2022, allying with the Mahagathbandhan after ties with BJP soured. Overall, Mr. Kumar has jumped to and fro between the BJP and the RJD four times, always keeping the Chief Minister post with him. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Pakistan in turmoil: On the Pakistan elections and resultsÂ]( [Arrow][The real travesty: On the Governor of Tamil Nadu and the Governor’s address]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Who is the president of the European Council? - Ursula von der Leyen - Robert Metsola - Charles Michel - Jean-Claude Juncker To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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