Patna: The second day of the Bihar Legislative Assembly’s winter session turned unusually charged as BJP MLA Prem Kumar was elected unopposed as Speaker, prompting chants of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” from members of the House.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav accompanied the veteran BJP leader to the Speaker’s chair in a rare display of bipartisan protocol.
Nitish Kumar congratulated the newly elected Speaker, praised his legislative experience and asked all MLAs to stand and salute the Chair, underscoring the gravity of the moment.
Oath Ceremony Turns Theatrical
Earlier, the Assembly witnessed moments of drama as five MLAs took their oaths.
Madan Sahni was sworn in first, followed by Lauria MLA Vinay Bihari, who attempted to recite a Bhojpuri folk verse before his oath—prompting the Pro-tem Speaker to intervene.
Vinay Bihari: “Dheeran ke dheeran ke hiye viren ke Bani, Bhurkut…”
Pro-tem Speaker: “Please read what has been given to you.”
Bihari: “I will take the oath, but can’t I recite a Bhojpuri poem? I became an MLA by singing.”
Bihari eventually complied and completed the oath.
Jivesh Mishra delivered his oath in Sanskrit, drawing attention on the floor.
Out of seven MLAs who were absent on day one, five took the oath today, while two prominent figures—Amarendra Kumar Pandey (Kuchaykot) and Anant Singh (Mokama)—remained absent.
Anant Singh, currently in jail in the Dular Chand murder case, is expected to take his oath later when permitted by the Assembly Secretariat.
How the Speaker Was Elected
Four proposals were submitted for the Speaker’s election—one from JD(U)’s Shravan Kumar and three from BJP leaders Samrat Chaudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha, and Sanjay Sarawagi.
Since no other nominations were filed, Prem Kumar’s election became a formality, completed swiftly before the House adjourned until 11am on Wednesday.
Speaking after his election, Prem Kumar said:
“I will fulfil my responsibility with complete honesty. Everyone will be respected in the House.”
JD(U) Defends Loss of Home Portfolio
Before proceedings began, JD(U) minister Vijay Chaudhary addressed concerns over the Home Department being handed to the BJP:
“Everyone is talking about losing Home, but no one mentions that we have received the bigger Finance Department.”
Digital Overhaul Inside the Assembly
Alongside political developments, the session marked significant technological upgrades inside the Assembly:
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248 tablets installed for MLAs
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Paperless functioning introduced
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Questions and responses to be handled through NEMA (digital system)
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New seat cushions and headsets provided
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Mexican grass planted in the renovated foreign-marble courtyard
