Bihar CM wins trust vote after BJP walkout

The three-day-old Jitan Ram Manjhi government in Bihar won the trust vote in the state assembly amid walkout by opposition the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The confidence motion moved by Manjhi was passed by members at a special session by voice vote.

In the state assembly, whose effective strength presently is 237, the Manjhi-government managed getting the support of 145 legislators.

After winning the trust vote comfortably, a happy Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday said he would soon expand his cabinet. “Cabinet will be expanded soon,” Manjhi said outside the assembly after winning the confidence.

He, however, did not mention the date for carrying out the expansion and merely said “soon.” The CM said his cabinet will be expanded to its maximum limit of 35.

All the 15 ministers in the Nitish Kumar cabinet found berth in the Manjhi government.

Amid accusations from the Bharatiya Janata Party of an immoral alliance between the Janata Dal-United, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress to stick to power and keep the BJP out, Manjhi said he never asked for support from Lalu Prasad’s party who voted for his three-day old ministry on its own.

“I had support of 124 legislators, including four of Congress, against the magic figure of 118 in the House whose effective strength at present is 237... there was no problem in my ways to win trust vote... but since RJD voted for me in the name of social justice I thank them,” Manjhi said.

Asked if coming together of Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar after 20 years would continue in future also, the Bihar CM said, “These are issues of future.”

Manjhi expressed fullsome praise for former chief minister Nitish Kumar who chose him as his successor. “Nitish Kumar’s love for weaker sections was no show off... you all are witness to the episode when he had offered his own chair to ‘mountainman’ Dasrath Manjhi credited with carving out roads through mountains in Gaya,” he said.

Image: Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi. Photograph: PTI