Bihar Speaker refuses to resign until floor test in Assembly on February 12

BJP MLA Nand Kishore Yadav has moved a no-confidence motion against Awadh Bihari Choudhary, who is with the RJD

Bihar Assembly Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary. Photo: Special Arrangement

Bihar Assembly Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary on Wednesday made it clear that he would not step down from his post, and announced that he would not resign until the Assembly Session began on February 12, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is set to face floor test.

Mr. Choudhary said that he had come to know of the no-confidence motion against him only on Wednesday. He added that the Bihar Legislative Assembly was governed by the Constitution and rules.

“Why should I resign? I will run the House according to rules of the Constitution. Strength will be known in the House and it is not our job to see this,“ Mr. Choudhary said, when asked about resigning as the newly formed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the State had moved a no-confidence motion against him. He was speaking after addressing a press advisory committee meeting inside the State Assembly. 

“Today, I have received information, and according to the rules, the no-confidence motion can be brought after 14 days or on the 14th day. Till then, the Speaker is there. I will follow the necessary instructions as per the procedure manual. I am a person who follows the rules,” he added.

Mr. Choudhary, who belongs to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), is currently the Speaker of the Bihar Assembly. The NDA’s leaders want to remove him before the floor test. On January 28, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nand Kishore Yadav gave a notice of no-confidence against the Speaker to the Secretary.

A no-confidence motion can be brought against the Speaker after 14 days of giving notice to the Secretary. If 38 MLAs support the no-confidence motion, the voting process can be completed.

Senior Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader and Cabinet Minister Shravan Kumar took a jibe at Mr. Choudhary. “This is not the first time we are going for the floor test. The NDA has the full majority and now it is the time for him [Mr. Choudhary] to decide to resign,” Mr. Kumar said.

In August 2022, BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha, now Deputy Chief Minister in the new government, similarly refused to resign when Mr. Nitish Kumar snapped ties with BJP and formed the government with the RJD, the Congress, and the Left parties. Later, to avoid the no-confidence vote, Mr. Sinha had, however, resigned on the floor of the House.