Samrat to seek trust vote today; NDA banks on strong numbers | Patna News
Patna: CM Samrat Choudhary, who was administered oath of office at Lok Bhavan by governor Syed Ata Hasnain on March 15, will seek the confidence vote in the state assembly on Friday.Given the heavy majority of NDA MLAs at 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 of the BJP, 85 of the JD(U), 19 of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), five of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and four of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) led by Rajya Sabha member Upendra Kushwaha.Against that, the Grand Alliance constituents account for 35 MLAs, including 25 of the RJD, six of the Congress, two of the CPI(ML), one of the CPM and one of the IIP. Besides, the AIMIM has five MLAs and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) one.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 govt he led. Samrat became CM after Nitish decided to move to the Rajya Sabha.“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 NDA leaders have been holding internal discussions. State JD(U) chief Umesh Singh Kushwaha and MLC Sanjay Gandhi accompanied him.“This govt enjoys the blessings of former CM Nitish Kumar. Therefore, there will be no difficulty in winning the confidence vote.”Describing the new dispensation as the “second NDA govt” 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 govt that enjoys the confidence of Nitish,” he said.He added 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.Choudhary added the NDA govt 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.”
