No-confidence motion against Bihar Assembly Speaker by Grand Alliance

Patna: Vijay Kumar Sinha, the Assembly Speaker and a BJP MLA is the target of a no-confidence vote presented by Bihar's new ruling coalition, the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance).

According to a senior JD(U) leader, a notice bearing the signatures of numerous Grand Alliance lawmakers was delivered to the assembly secretariat on Wednesday.

The move came hours after Nitish Kumar took oath as the chief minister for a record eighth time.

The motion against Sinha will be taken up by the House when it meets to enable Nitish Kumar to move a trust vote, senior JD(U) leader Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said.

A special session of the assembly is expected to be convened either on August 24 or 25.

As per rules, a Speaker can be removed from office by a resolution of the assembly passed by a majority, said Choudhary.

While constituents of the Mahagathbandhan' have a total of 164 members in the assembly, the BJP has 77 MLAs.

The Speaker's motivation was doubtful. Another JD(U) leader said that he refused to follow convention and resign from the position following the change in government.

A day after severing relations with the BJP-led NDA and teaming up with the RJD to create a Mahagathbandhan administration, Kumar took the oath of office as chief minister of Bihar in a low-key event at Raj Bhavan.

With PTI input