Nitish Kumar Wins Bihar Floor Test Amid Opposition Walkout

The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar won a vote of confidence in the assembly on Monday with 129 votes. The new government secured 129 votes amid a walkout by the opposition members. The Bihar assembly has a strength of 243 MLAs.

Before the voting commenced, opposition parties, including the RJD, staged a walkout from the Assembly. Notably, at least five RJD MLAs crossed party lines and cast their votes in support of Nitish Kumar.

In the absence of the Opposition, Kumar initially established his majority through a voice vote. However, he later insisted on a manual voting process. Ultimately, he secured the vote of confidence with 129 votes in favor, with none opposing his government.

Nitish Kumar, who severed ties with ally RJD to join forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party, launched a verbal attack on Tejashwi Yadav's parents, Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi.

"Before this, when his father and mother were in power, what was the situation in Bihar? Could anyone venture out at night during that time? Were there any proper roads?" he questioned emotionally.

"Kama rahe the ye log (they were making money)," he said, hinting at former deputy chief minister and ally Tejashwi Yadav.

Last month, Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the ninth time, subsequent to his departure from the RJD and the subsequent formation of a government with the BJP.

On Monday, Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, voiced criticism against Nitish Kumar's decision to switch alliances and align with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). This move comes despite Nitish Kumar's prior departure from the NDA in 2022 to join the Mahagathbandhan coalition, which included the RJD led by Lalu Yadav, the Congress, and the Left parties.