Bihar Assembly's 18th Session Commences with Oath-Taking
The 18th session of the Bihar Assembly began on Monday, December 1st, with newly-elected members taking their oaths of office. The five-day session saw Pro-tem Speaker Narendra Narayan Yadav overseeing the proceedings, administering the oath to all 243 members.
Oath-Taking Details
Members were given the option to take their oaths in several languages:
- Hindi
- English
- Urdu
- Sanskrit
- Maithili
The oath-taking began with cabinet ministers. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, elected from Tarapur, was the first to be sworn in. He was followed by Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha, who retained his Lakhisarai seat for the fourth time. BJP leader Prem Kumar, a contender for the Speaker's position, also took his oath.
RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, recently chosen as the Leader of the Opposition by Mahagathbandhan, took his oath shortly after. Vishnu Deo Paswan, representing Darauli, chose to take his oath in English. Several other members took their oaths in Maithili or Urdu, depending on their region, and some chose to use Sanskrit.
Key Session Highlights
The five-day session is scheduled to include several key events:
- Speaker Election: Scheduled for Tuesday, December 2nd.
- Governor's Address: Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will address both Houses jointly on Wednesday, December 3rd.
- Supplementary Budget: The second supplementary budget is also slated to be tabled on Wednesday.
- Debate on Governor's Address: The government will respond to the debate on the motion of thanks regarding the Governor's address on Thursday.
- Supplementary Budget Debate: A debate on the second supplementary budget will take place on Friday, followed by the passage of the appropriation bill, concluding the session.
Background: NDA Government Formation
This new session follows the formation of the NDA government in Bihar after the recent assembly elections held on November 6th and 11th. The NDA, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, secured 202 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan secured 35 seats, with 25 won by the RJD. Nitish Kumar has now taken office as Bihar Chief Minister for a record-breaking 10th time.
(With inputs from PTI)
