Manjhi quits as Bihar chief minister, Nitish to stake claim

JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar has the numbers and his successor had to quit after much bravado

GN Bureau | February 20, 2015


#Jitan ram manjhi   #nitish kumar   #bihar chief minister   #bihar crisis   #laloo prasad yadav  


Two hoursbefore the vote of confidence in the assembly, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi  met Governor KN Tripathi and submitted his resignation as it became clear that he does not have the numbers.

READ: Bihar’s famous aloo and infamous democratic farce play out as state slips

Even the support of the BJP's 87 legislators would not helped him touch the half way mark in the assembly at 117 in Friday's trust vote. JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar has the support of 130 MLAs and Manjhi’s tally could have at best 103, if he had gone through the trust motion.

The BJP had asked its legislators to vote for Manjhi but it did come to that stage. JD(U) legislators arrived at the Assembly on Friday with back bands across their mouths. Manjhi was expelled by the JD(U) earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar met the governor and staked his claim to form the government. According to TV reports, he will take oath on Sunday (February 22).


New JD(U) Legislature party leader Nitish Kumar said Manjhi’s resignation has vindicated his plea to the Governor that not much time be given for the trust vote.

“Our stand has been vindicated,” he told media at the Bihar Assembly premises.

“Everything is happening after 14 days, that also surprisingly,” he said adding, “the BJP game plan has been exposed”.

Bihar votes for its next government later this year. The JD(U) has allied with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal to take on the BJP.

The BJP and the JD(U) aborted their alliance due to Nitish Kumar. He was opposed to the BJP's decision to select Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate. However, Nitish Kumar suffered a humiliating defeat in Lok Sabha elections. His party won just two seats in the national election, and he resigned, accepting responsibility for the colossal wipeout and Manjhi took his place.

 

Comments

 

Other News

Why civilization is a precarious thing

The Decline of Hindu Civilization: Lessons from the Past By Shashi Ranjan Kumar Rupa Publications, 416 pages, Rs 995

End of an era: BJP poised to rule Mumbai after 25 years

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance was set for a decisive victory in the Maharashtra municipal corporation elections, consolidating its dominance across Maharashtra’s urban landscape. As per the latest trends from the vote counting on Friday afternoon, the state`s ruling coalition was leading in 19 of the

Startup India initiative: A decade of building India’s innovation backbone

* With over 2 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups as of December 2025, India stands firmly as one of the world’s largest startup ecosystems. * A decade of Startup India has built a full-lifecycle support system spanning ideation, funding, mentorship, and scale-up. * Around 50% of DPIIT-r

How toll policies are redefining the highway journeys

With the phenomenal growth in National Highways, queues at toll plazas used to affect commuters. However, over the last decade, tolling has undergone a major technological transformation, bringing faster movement and significant ease for road users. Building on this progress, year 2025 saw further people-c

From vulnerabilities to empowerment: Building resilience for small and marginal farmers

India’s small and marginal farmers are at the centre of a paradox in agrarian economy. They are the backbone of the food economy, but they are the most vulnerable stakeholders within agricultural economy. Among the 126 million farmers in India today, nearly makes 86% operate on small and marginal hol

Concerns over Mumbai air pollution ahead of Marathon

Environmental organisation Awaaz Foundation has flagged serious concerns over deteriorating air quality in Mumbai and the potential health risks it poses to participants of the Tata Mumbai Marathon scheduled for January 18. It has urged civic and pollution control authorities to conduct advance air quality


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter