A one-day special session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly will be held on April 24. During this session, Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary will present a motion of confidence in the House and seek to prove his government’s majority.
Following Nitish Kumar’s resignation as Chief Minister, the new government was sworn in on April 15. Samrat Chaudhary took oath as Chief Minister, while JD(U)’s senior leaders Vijay Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers.
Despite the change in leadership, the NDA government enjoys an absolute majority in the House. However, it is a constitutional requirement for a newly formed government to prove, through a vote of confidence, that it commands the support of the majority of the total Assembly strength. The Chief Minister presents the confidence motion, which is followed by a discussion. The motion is then decided through a voice vote or a formal division.
In the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly, the ruling alliance holds a commanding majority. In the 2025 Assembly elections, the BJP, JD(U), and their allies secured 202 seats. After BJP leader Nitin Nabin became a Rajya Sabha MP, he resigned from his Assembly membership. He represented the Bankipur seat in Patna, which is currently vacant.
At present, the Assembly has an effective strength of 242 members, with the NDA holding 201 MLAs. These include 88 from the BJP, 85 from JD(U), 19 from LJP (Ram Vilas), 5 from HAM, and 4 from RLMO. A minimum of 122 MLAs is required to form a government.
Meanwhile, the opposition Grand Alliance has 35 MLAs. During last month’s Rajya Sabha elections, three Congress MLAs abstained from voting, sparking speculation of a rift within the alliance.
The special session is also considered politically significant as the cabinet expansion is expected only after the confidence motion is passed in the Assembly. The expansion is likely to take place next month.