With 165 MLAs with Nitish Kumar’s Mahagathbandhan, know possible outcome of Bihar floor test today

The Bihar assembly is set to have a stormy session today, with the newly-formed JD(U)-RJD government set to face a floor test today itself. In the assembly session, the BJP is set to fight against the mighty seven-party ruling 'Mahagathbandhan' in the state.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan will be facing a floor test today, which seems like a mere formality due to the clear majority held by the alliance in the state assembly. It is expected that Kumar’s government will survive the storm of the assembly session.

The special session is set to commence on a stormy note on account of Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha's stout refusal to resign despite the new ruling dispensation's motion of no-confidence against him.

Sinha, a senior BJP leader, evidently enjoys the backing of his party which has vowed to take on "Paltu Kumar", a pejorative it has coined for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his many volte faces, and the new government which has been formed through "back door", a charge the party has, ironically, been facing since 2017.

Meanwhile, it is pretty clear that Nitish Kumar’s Mahagathbandhan will emerge as the winner of the Bihar floor test today, since it's backed by 165 MLAs, assuming the clear majority. There are a total of 243 seats in the state assembly, with 2 seats vacant as of now, dropping the number to 241.

For a person to win the floor test, they need to prove their majority with over 121 votes. This means that the Bihar floor test lies clearly in Nitish Kumar’s favour, leading to him continuing his term as the chief minister till 2025.

The 'Mahagathbandhan', which comprises the chief minister's JD(U), besides RJD, Congress, CPI(ML), CPI, and CPI(M), has a combined strength of more than 160 in the 243-strong House.

The political turmoil in Bihar was at its peak a few weeks ago, when Nitish Kumar broke off his alliance with years-old partner BJP and decided to form a new alliance with foe-turned-friend RJD, leaving the saffron party disgruntled.

(With PTI inputs)

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