Will Bihar's New Government See Nitish Kumar and the NDA Maintain Their Leadership?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Nitish Kumar re-elected as JD(U) legislative leader.
- BJP elects Samrat Choudhury and Vijay Kumar Sinha for leadership roles.
- NDA's focus on continuity may influence Bihar's political stability.
- New government formation anticipated soon.
- Coalition dynamics to watch as parties retain familiar faces.
Patna, Nov 19 (NationPress) In a surprising twist amidst speculation regarding the formation of the new Bihar government, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has opted to maintain its established leadership structure, under which the coalition previously achieved a significant mandate, surpassing the 200-seat threshold in the 243-member Assembly.
On Wednesday, the Janata Dal (United) with 85 legislators, appointed Nitish Kumar as its legislative party leader. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which holds 89 seats, selected Samrat Choudhury as its legislative party leader and Vijay Kumar Sinha as the deputy leader.
This development paves the way for the impending formation of Bihar's new government, anticipated to occur on Thursday.
During the BJP legislative party meeting, Samrat Choudhury and Vijay Kumar Sinha were elected as the Leader and Deputy Leader, respectively.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP's central observer for the leader election, announced to the media that both leaders were chosen unanimously, extending his congratulations.
"The combination of Samrat Choudhury and Vijay Sinha is both suitable and effective," Maurya stated to reporters following their election.
Both Choudhury and Sinha are set to continue their roles as Deputy Chief Ministers, similar to the previous administration under Nitish Kumar.
In a significant meeting, Nitish Kumar was also unanimously selected as the leader of the JD(U) legislative party, facilitating the next steps in government formation.
Attention is now focused on the NDA legislative party meeting scheduled for later at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, where Nitish Kumar is expected to be named the Leader of the NDA legislative party.
The decisions by both the BJP and JD(U) to retain familiar faces effectively eliminate any unexpected elements in the upcoming Bihar government.
Reports suggest that both the JD(U) and BJP will likely each have 15 members in the new NDA government, with Chirag Paswan's LJP securing two seats and Upendra Kushwaha's RLM and Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM (S) each obtaining one ministerial position.
Later in the evening, Nitish Kumar is expected to meet with Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to officially tender his resignation as Chief Minister, thereby initiating the process for forming a new government.