Patna: Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who was administered the oath of office at Lok Bhavan by Governor Syed Ata Hasnain on March 15, will seek a confidence vote in the state assembly on Friday.
NDA Majority Ensures Smooth Sailing
Given the heavy majority of NDA MLAs—202 against 35 MLAs of the RJD-led opposition in the 243-member House—he is expected to secure it comfortably. In the House, the 202 NDA MLAs include 89 from the BJP, 85 from the JD(U), 19 from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), five from the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), and four from the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) led by Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha. Against that, the Grand Alliance constituents account for 35 MLAs, including 25 from the RJD, six from the Congress, two from the CPI(ML), one from the CPM, and one from the IIP. Besides, the AIMIM has five MLAs and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) one.
Samrat Choudhary: First BJP CM of Bihar
Samrat is the first CM of the state from the BJP. He is also the second CM from the NDA after Nitish Kumar. While the NDA was formed nationally in 1998, Nitish remained its CM face since the 2000 assembly elections in the state and has also been CM a record ten times, including seven terms under the NDA government he led. Samrat became CM after Nitish decided to move to the Rajya Sabha.
Deputy CM Expresses Confidence
“We believe CM Samrat Choudhary will win the confidence vote gloriously, given the solid strength of the NDA in the House,” Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Choudhary told reporters at the state JD(U) headquarters on Thursday, a day ahead of the vote, adding that NDA leaders have been holding internal discussions. State JD(U) chief Umesh Singh Kushwaha and MLC Sanjay Gandhi accompanied him. “This government enjoys the blessings of former CM Nitish Kumar. Therefore, there will be no difficulty in winning the confidence vote.”
Second NDA Government in 2025-30 Period
Describing the new dispensation as the “second NDA government” in the 2025-30 period, Choudhary said Nitish was its architect. “Nitish favoured Samrat as his replacement after he decided to move to Rajya Sabha. Later, the BJP also selected Samrat for the post of CM. He, accordingly, leads the second NDA government that enjoys the confidence of Nitish,” he said. He added that the new CM would follow the path laid down by Nitish and implement his developmental programmes along with new initiatives aligned with his vision. “The new CM would take up all new developmental activities and initiatives for the public good, as is deemed good for the people, but everything would be done without losing sight of Nitish’s broader vision and path,” he said.
Public Support Expected to Continue
Choudhary added that the NDA government under Nitish Kumar had enjoyed public support for a long period due to his work ethic, which would work in favour of the present dispensation as well. Talking to reporters separately, JD(U) legislature party leader and former minister Shrawan Kumar echoed similar sentiments and said, “The NDA’s CM has no problem in winning the confidence vote.”
