Raids, Resignation & Results – Top 10 Updates in Bihar As Nitish Wins Trust Vote

Video Producer/Editor: Shohini Bose

Two weeks after JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar cold-shouldered the BJP, and partnered with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other parties to form the government in Bihar, the Kumar-led Grand Alliance won the trust vote in the Assembly on Wednesday, 24 August.

Right before 160 MLAs voted in favour of the 'Mahagathbandhan,' all BJP MLA's walked out of the Assembly in protest.

The trust vote, however, was not the only thing that happened in Bihar on Wednesday. From resignations and raids to a heated exchange between leaders, here are the top 10 developments:

1. Hours before the trust vote, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the homes of four Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders, namely Sunil Singh, Ashfaque Karim, Faiyaz Ahmed, and Subodh Rai.

2. The raids, which were connected to the alleged 'land-for-jobs' scam during RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's stint as the railway minister, were also conducted in 25 places across Patna, Madhubani, Kathar, Delhi, and Gurugram.

3. Taking a dig at the BJP over this, Nitish Kumar's deputy Tejashwi Yadav said in the Assembly that the "BJP has three sons-in-law ED, CBI and IT."

4. "The BJP will launch these agencies on those who cannot be bowed down or bought over," he said.

5. During the debate, the BJP's Tarakishore Prasad ripped into Nitish Kumar, his former boss, saying he has lost "political credibility".

6. The former Deputy Chief Minister mocked Kumar's "personal ambition to become the prime minister despite not having the ability to become the chief minister on his own steam".

7. Nitish Kumar, however, said that the RJD and JD (U) have taken a "pledge to work together for the development of Bihar."

8. Bihar Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha, who had earlier refused to resign over the "invalidity" of the no-confidence motion against him, stepped down from his post on Wednesday.

9. The election of the Speaker in the Bihar Assembly will be held on 26 August. Deputy speaker Maheshwar Hajari will run the Assembly until then.

10. Meanwhile, Senior JD(U) leader Devesh Chandra Thakur, on Wednesday, filed his nomination papers for election to the post of chairman of the Bihar legislative council. According to the Vidhan Parishad secretariat, voting will take place on 25 August.