Unlikely as it sounds, Bihar may thus have two claimants to the CM's post with majority support, until the legitimacy of one over the other is established on the floor of the House.
The Speaker's recognition of Kumar came in response to a letter from Bihar JD(U) chief Bashistha Narayan Singh who had apprised him about Kumar's election as leader of the House by 97 out of a total of 111 JD(U) MLAs and 37 out of 41 MLCs.
READ ALSO: Amit Shah chalks out Bihar strategy with leaders
JD(U)'s claim of majority support for Kumar as CM and Manjhi's counter-claim of being the legitimate CM - amid his threat of recommending the dissolution of the assembly - has sent the state reeling under a bizarre constitutional crisis.
If Manjhi does send the letter of dissolution, governor Kesari Nath Tripathi would have three options: one, recommend President's rule in the state and dissolve the assembly as sought by Manjhi; two, ask Manjhi to seek a confidence vote in the House; and, three, should Manjhi fail to prove his majority, ask the new JD(U) legislature party chief Kumar to do the same.
"The governor would assess the legality of any decision he takes," a BJP source said, adding that the governor would consult legal experts before a final decision. With the assembly session to begin on February 20, Tripathi might ask Manjhi to seek confidence vote on the floor of the House on the first day itself. BJP is expected to do a balancing act between its elation over Kumar's discomfiture and the calculation not to move too close to Manjhi, whose decisions have the potential to upset BJP's core constituency.
READ ALSO: Bihar speaker recognizes Nitish as new JD(U) legislature party leader
"We'll try our best to satisfy the governor about our majority. We have also submitted to the principal secretary to the governor the letter to Manjhi by Sharad Yadav who has informed the CM that he has been replaced by Nitish as the legislature party leader and he should resign immediately," Bashistha told TOI, adding that Manjhi was playing into the hands of the BJP.
Significantly, despite the letter of support from the RJD, a few of its 24 MLAs told TOI that they are still supporting Manjhi and would vote for him, if needed. As if on cue, Manjhi on arriving in Patna, said, "Manjhi ki nao kabhi nahin doobti hai (a boatman's boat never sinks)."
READ ALSO: Bihar CM says 'Manjhi's boat never sinks'
Countering RJD MLAs' claims, RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad said, "RJD firmly believes that Nitish will be successful in extending further Lalu's attempts to unite secular forces. He will also ensure all-round development of the state, besides implementing special welfare schemes for the Dalits, Mahadalits, backwards and minorities as part of social justice scheme of the grand alliance."
Late evening, governor Tripathi also accepted the resignation of 20 ministers who quit on Saturday. "The decision was taken on the advice of the CM," said the governor's office.
http://ift.tt/UwHpgx Narayan Chaudhary,Ram Manjhi,Former Bihar CM Nitish Kumar,Bihar
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