BJP MLA Vijay Kumar Sinha Elected Speaker of Bihar Assembly by Majority Vote

Vijay Kumar Sinha, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, on Wednesday won the Bihar Assembly Speaker election on Wednesday defeating Awadh Bihari Chaudhary, who was fielded against him by opposition grand alliance led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).  Sinha managed to garner 126 votes whereas Chaudhary bagged 114 votes.

The election of the speaker is being seen as the first trial of strength for both the ruling NDA and the opposition Grand Alliance in the newly formed Bihar Assembly. Sinha, the NDA nominee, had earlier expressed confidence in having the numbers to be elected to the coveted post.

“The post of Speaker is elected with a mutual understanding of ruling and opposition parties and it is based on numbers. Our alliance has projected me on the basis of seniority and we are fully confident about it,” Sinha had said.

The ruling NDA has 125 MLAs, while RJD-led Mahagathbandhan has 110 MLAs in the 243-member Bihar Assembly.  Notably, Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, which has five legislatures in the Assembly, had fielded its own candidate.

Talking to reporters after Chaudhary filed his nominations, on Tuesday, RJD de facto leader Tejashwi Yadav earlier had said “we have made the first move. Our candidate filed his nomination papers much before the NDA decided its nominee. I am hopeful that our nominee will win”.

Yadav pointed out that Chaudhary is a fifth term MLA, member of this house since the 1980s, well-versed in the proceedings with an excellent command our language and has a reputation of taking everyone along. In short, all the qualities that one would expect in an assembly Speaker.

When pointed out that as per convention, the ruling alliance fields its candidate and receives unanimous support from all, Yadav replied testily “convention also has it that the opposition has its candidate appointed to the post of Deputy Speaker. It is true for assemblies as well as the Lok Sabha.

“However, in the previous assembly we kept making a request for the same but the post was kept vacant”.

Deputy Chief Minister Tar Kishor Prasad told reporters “we request the opposition to abide by the tradition and support our candidate for the Speakers post. The Speaker is of the entire House and not of just the ruling dispensation”.