Bihar Power struggle : CM Jitan Ram Manjhi expelled from JD(U)

09 Feb, Patna :

Janata Dal (U) President Sharad Yadav Monday expelled Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi from the party taking the state politics to a new turn .

Yadav had asked Manjhi to step down from the post of Chief Minister in view of the selection of Nitish Kumar as the new leader of JD(U) legislative party.

Nitish Kumar will stake claim for formation of a new government in the state today during the meeting with Governor. Kumar will call on Governor this afternoon.

JD U party President Sharad Yadav and RJD President Lalu Yadav will also accompany him. JD (U) MLAs owing allegiance to Mr. Nitish and Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and CPI MLAs would parade to Raj Bhawan in support of Nitish Kumar.

RJD has convened party legislators meeting at residence of Lalu Yadav before marching to Raj Bhawan. On the other hand Chief Minister Jitam Ram Manjhi has sought time from the governor to expand his ministry.

Meanwhile, the acting Bihar Governor Kesarinath Tripathi has reached Patna from Kolkata this morning.
In the 243 member Bihar Assembly, JDU has 111 MLAs; BJP-87, RJD-24, Congress-5 and five Independents, while ten seats are vacant. With the present effective strength of the Assembly at 233, the magic figure is 117 required for formation of the new government. Nitish Kumar has claimed that he has support of 130 MLAs.

Amidst ongoing political development, JD(U) MLA Rajeshwar Raj today filed a petition in the Patna High Court challenging the legality of election of Nitish Kumar as leader of the JD(U) legislative party. Raj in his petition has also challenged Sharad Yadav’s authority to convene a meeting of legislative party when Jitan Ram Manjhi was the duly elected leader of the legislative party.