JD(U) MLAs authorise Nitish to pick legislature party leader

Patna: Former CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Monday urged party legislators to intensify work in their constituencies and set an ambitious goal of winning 200 seats in the next Bihar assembly elections. At present, the JD(U) holds 85 seats in the 243-member assembly.

Addressing the first meeting of JD(U) legislators since stepping down as CM on April 14, Nitish assured MLAs that he would remain actively involved in Bihar’s affairs. He also told party colleagues that he would spend most of his time in the state and continue working as he had done earlier.

Nitish also made it clear that relinquishing the CM’s post would not reduce his oversight of Bihar’s development work. He told legislators that he would continue monitoring progress across the state and would personally tour different regions. “I will tour across the state. Don’t worry, everything will be fine,” he told the MLAs during the meeting.

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar later said Nitish had assured legislators that, apart from attending Parliament sessions in Delhi, he would devote maximum time to Bihar. The meeting took place at 1, Anne Marg, the official residence of the CM.

The meeting was convened primarily to elect the leader of the JD(U) legislature party ahead of the one-day assembly session scheduled for April 24. During that session, the new NDA govt, led by CM Samrat Choudhary, is expected to seek a vote of confidence in the House.

Although the meeting lasted nearly 90 minutes, the party did not elect a legislature party leader. Instead, all legislators unanimously authorised Nitish Kumar to choose the leader. Nitish had earlier held the post himself, but it became vacant on March 30 after he resigned from the Bihar legislative council following his election to the Rajya Sabha.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Neeraj Kumar said Nitish assured MLAs that the development work carried out during his tenure would continue under the new govt, in which JD(U) remains a key ally. He added that Nitish would tour the state in due course to keep track of progress.

Mokama MLA Anant Singh said Nitish had asked legislators to work hard so the party could achieve its target of 200 seats in the next assembly polls. A resolution passed at the meeting also congratulated JD(U)’s two deputy CMs, Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav, on their induction into the new cabinet led by Samrat Choudhary.