Patna: The contest for the post of Bihar Assembly Speaker is gathering momentum, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Prem Kumar and Janata Dal (United) MLA Damodar Rawat emerging as frontrunners.
The developments come a day after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar allocated portfolios to his state ministers, signalling the next phase of the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) legislative manoeuvring. Prem Kumar, elected for the ninth consecutive term from the Gaya Town constituency, is viewed as a strong contender due to his seniority within the BJP. Rawat, the JD(U) MLA from Jhajha, is also reportedly under consideration.
A special session of the Assembly is expected to be convened soon for all 243 elected members to take their oaths and elect the Speaker. The state cabinet is scheduled to finalise the date for the session on November 25.
A senior NDA leader explained the process: the Governor will first appoint a ‘Pro-tem Speaker’ to administer the oath to the newly elected MLAs, after which the Assembly will elect its Speaker. Both major NDA constituents are actively lobbying for the post. “Now, lobbying among the alliance partners for the Speaker’s post has intensified,” a JD(U) leader said, while a BJP insider added, “Our most senior MLA, Prem Kumar, is leading the race for the Speaker’s post.”
Prem Kumar previously served as Bihar’s Cooperative Minister and as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly from 2015 to 2017. In the outgoing Assembly, BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav held the Speaker’s position, while JD(U)’s Narendra Narayan Yadav was Deputy Speaker. JD(U) sources suggest that some party members believe the Speaker’s post should go to their party, given that BJP’s Awadhesh Narayan Singh currently chairs the State Legislative Council, potentially leaving the Deputy Speaker role to the BJP.
Earlier this week, Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Bihar’s Chief Minister for a record tenth term, with 26 ministers taking the oath of office alongside him, including 14 from the BJP, eight from the JD(U), two from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and one each from the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha.
