Bihar governor directs CM Jitan Ram Manjhi to seek confidence vote on Feb 20

NEW DELHI: Bihar governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has given chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi an opportunity to prove his majority on the floor of the House.
According to TV reports, the governor has directed chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi to seek a confidence vote on February 20.
"Immediately after Governor's address to the joint session of Bihar Legislature on the opening day of Budget session on February 20, Manjhi will have to prove majority in the legislative assembly," highly placed sources in Raj Bhavan said.
The development comes on a day when JD(U) leader and former chief minister Nitish Kumar paraded his MLAs before President Pranab Mukherjee.
Nitish along with the MLAs had met the governor in Patna on February 9 to stake claim for government formation on the plea that chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was running a minority government and indulging in horse trading.
READ ALSO: Nitish Kumar parades 130 MLAs before President Pranab Mukherjee

JD(U) MLAs supporting Nitish Kumar at Rashtrapati Bhavan. (PTI photo)
Earlier on Wednesday, Patna high court put on hold the decision of Bihar assembly speaker to recognize Nitish Kumar as leader of JD (U) legislature party in place of CM Jitan Ram Manjhi.
JD (U) president Sharad Yadav had on February 7 called a JD (U) legislature party meeting at which Nitish was elected leader in place of Manjhi. Subsequently, Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary notified Nitish as the JD (U) LP leader.
The Patna high court said that the JD(U) legislative party meet, in which Nitish Kumar was elected its new leader, was illegal.
READ ALSO: JD(U) legislative party meet to elect Nitish Kumar as new leader is illegal, rules Patna HC
Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had on Sunday reiterated his decision not to quit as Bihar chief minister and fight it out on the floor of the assembly.
Even as JD(U) MLAs backed Nitish Kumar for the CM's post, Manjhi said he would prove his majority on the floor of the House and would step down if he failed.
(With inputs from PTI)
Read this in Hindi: ​बिहार — 20 फरवरी को बहुमत साबित करेंगे मांझी