Patna, July 26:
Nitish Kumar, who resigned as Chief Minister this evening, was formally elected leader of NDA Legislative party tonight and would stake claim before Bihar Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi to form new Government in the State.
Kumar was formally elected leader of NDA Legislative party in its meeting at the official residence of Chief Minister. Legislators of all constituents of the NDA, including the JD(U), BJP, LJP and RLSP, were present in the meeting when Kumar was elected leader. He will be sworn in as Chief Minister tomorrow evening.
The Bihar Assembly with strength of 243 MLAs, the magic number to form the Government is 122.
The JD(U) has 71 Legislators, followed by BJP (53), LJP (2), RLSP (2) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (1) which comes to 129, a simple majority to form the Government.
Kumar, whose party JD(U) is now part of the NDA, would stake claim before Governor Keshri Nath Tripathi to form the new Government, with support of 129 MLAs.
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi while going to the official residence of Kumar for the NDA Legislative party meeting told media persons that decision had been taken by the BJP to be part of the new Government to be headed by Kumar. Modi who was Deputy Chief Minister in Nitish Cabinet during the NDA Government from 2005 to 2013, however, parried the question whether he would become Deputy CM again.
But the smile on his face, made it almost clear that Modi would be again Deputy CM in new Government, likely to be formed tomorrow, under the leadership of Kumar.
When Modi was Deputy Chief Minister in Nitish cabinet, he was also the Finance Minister and had initiated several new measures to stream line the fiscal management in Bihar.
Modi was also Chairman of empowered committee of Finance Ministers of States on Goods and Service Tax (GST), when attempt was being made to introduce GST during the regime of Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre. (UNI)
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