Bihar: The ruling National Democratic Alliance candidate Vijay Kumar Sinha on Wednesday was elected Speaker of the Bihar Assembly through voice vote.
NDA candidate Vijay Kumar Sinha has been elected as the Speaker of the Bihar Assembly today, with 126 votes; while 114 members opposed him in the election. Altogether 240 members took part in the election procedure. The election of Mr. Sinha was announced by pro-tem speaker Jitan Ram Manjhi. Earlier, Mr. Sinha has been elected as BJP MLA from the Lakhisarai Assembly constituency, Munger district for four times.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal-led Mahagathbandhan protested the presence of the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in the election. Because the CM is not a member of the house. The opposition legislators rushed to the well of the House, shouting “Why should the Chief Minister who is not a member of the House be present when the election process is on through voice vote!” Amidst the protest, Mr. Manjhi discontinued the House five minutes prior to the poll. As a nominee for the Speaker’s post, the Mahagathbandhan fielded Awadh Bihari Choudhary, a six-time RJD MLA from Siwan.
The opposition leaders opined that the election should be done through secret voting. But, Mr. Manjhi refused the idea, stating – “There is no constitutional provision for secret voting for Speaker’s post.”
Ultimately, the election process took place through voice vote.