2015 Bihar political crisis

Last updated
2015 Bihar political crisis
Part of Politics of Bihar
DurationFebruary 4, 2015 (2015-02-04) – February 22, 2015 (2015-02-22)
Location Bihar, India
Typepolitical
Causepolitical crisis over the post of the Chief Minister of Bihar
OutcomeState Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi succeeded by Nitish Kumar

There was a political crisis in Bihar state of India during February 2015 over the post of the Chief Minister of Bihar. Incumbent Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi did not vacate the post for former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who wanted to return, resulting in a split in the political party, JD(U). After days, the Governor asked Manjhi to prove majority in house by trust vote. Manjhi quit the post on day of vote and later Nitish Kumar took oath as chief minister again on 22 February 2015 ending the crisis.

Contents

Background

Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat state, and Nitish Kumar, then chief minister of Bihar state of India had a political rivalry. Modi belonged to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which was the largest party of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), then the chief opposition political group in Parliament of India. Nitish Kumar belonged to Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), a smaller member party of NDA.

Before the 2014 general election, Narendra Modi was declared the prime ministerial candidate of NDA. Nitish-led JD(U) opposed the move and broke alliance and left NDA. When the alliance broke, the JD(U) government in Bihar survived by the outside support of other parties and independents. [1] [2]

2014 general election

When results were announced on 16 May 2014, in Bihar, NDA won in 31 out of total 40 constituencies which include BJP in 22, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in 6, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) in 3. JD(U) won only two seats while United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won seven seats. It include 2 of Indian National Congress (INC), 4 of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and one of Nationalist Congress Party.

Nationally NDA secured absolute majority in the Parliament and formed the government with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India.

Crisis

Following poor performance of the JD(U) in election, Nitish Kumar resigned on 17 May 2014 as the chief minister of Bihar citing moral responsibility. His confidant and the then minister of the SC and ST welfare department of the state government, Jitan Ram Manjhi, took over as the chief minister of the state on 20 May 2014. [3] [4] Opposition leader Sushil Kumar Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party called Manjhi a "dummy chief minister", to which Manjhi responded by saying he was "not a rubber stamp." Due to the breakup of the JD(U) alliance with BJP and the desertion of some JD(U) MLAs, Manjhi's government faced instability and appeared unlikely to pass the trust vote in the state legislative assembly. However RJD and INC provided outside support to Manjhi because he belongs to a backward caste. [5] [6]

The nine months rule of Jitan Ram Manjhi was marred by controversies. He made several provocative statements, like upper castes are foreigners, hoarding of food grains by small traders was okay. He questioned the character of wives of army personnel and migrant labour, saying they indulged in adultery while their husbands were away for work. He also said it was alright to consume alcohol before going to bed and admitted that he received kickbacks in bridge construction projects. On 9 February 2015, Manjhi was expelled from the party for intentionally courting controversies, due to his poor administrative skills and refusing to make way for Nitish Kumar to return as the Chief Minister. [7] Manjhi recommended dissolution of the assembly but his cabinet did not pass the resolution. He requested the governor of Bihar Kesri Nath Tripathi to remove two cabinet ministers who accepted it. The dissolution was opposed by 21 cabinet ministers and supported by 7 ministers. Manjhi met Narendra Modi in Delhi. JD(U) called meeting of 97 MLAs of party and Nitish Kumar was elected as the leader of JD(U) state legislative party. He claimed to form the new government in the state and requested the governor to test the majority in the assembly. Patna High Court stayed the election of Nitish Kumar as the leader of JD(U) state legislative party. [8] When not invited soon to prove the majority, Nitish Kumar paraded 128 MLAs in front of President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 11 February 2015 in Delhi. [1] [9] [10] JD(U) and its allies blamed the governor and BJP for political crisis in state [11] but Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu denied the charge and said that the crisis arose over JD(U)'s internal issues. [12] Manjhi included Dusadh caste in the Mahadalit category. [13] Patna High Court stopped Manjhi cabinet taking any financial decisions until proven majority but later allowed it. Later JD(U) suspended seven ministers from the party who were supporting Manjhi. Total sixteen legislators, including Manjhi and ministers, were suspended from the party. [14]

In the 243 member assembly, the JD(U) has 111 MLAs, BJP 87, RJD 24, INC 5 besides 5 Independents, while ten seats are vacant. The support of 117 MLAs needed to prove the majority in the assembly. Nitish Kumar claimed the support of 130 MLAs; 99 from JD(U), 24 from the RJD, 5 from INC, one from CPI(M) and one independent. Rajiv Ranjan, Manjhi appointed chief whip of JD(U), claimed support of 44 JD(U) and 12 RJD MLAs. [1] [15]

The governor asked Manjhi to seek vote of confidence on 20 February 2015, the first day of budget session of assembly. [10] BJP announced it would support Manjhi. [16] On 20 February 2015, Manjhi resigned from the post of chief minister in the morning before the vote. He said that the legislators who supported him were threatened with death and the speaker of assembly did not allow a secret ballot, so he chose to resign. [17] The assembly was adjourned sine die. Later Nitish Kumar was invited by the Governor to form the government and he took oath on 22 February 2015 along with 22 other ministers. [18] [19]

Aftermath

Few days later, Manjhi floated new political front, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), on 28 February 2015 and clarified that the political party was not formed due to technical difficulties. He announced that he will travel across Bihar. [20] Later Manjhi formed the political party, Hindustani Awam Morcha, out of the front and announced it on 8 May 2015. [21]

In July 2015, the party joined National Democratic Alliance, an alliance led by BJP, and contested 21 seats, with some additional members contesting on BJP ticket, in 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janata Dal (United)</span> Political party in India

Janata Dal (United) ("People’s Party (United)"), abbreviated as JD(U), is an Indian political party with political presence mainly in eastern and north-eastern India. JD(U) is recognised as a state party in the states of Bihar and Manipur and is a part of government in both the states. JD(U) heads the government in Bihar and is part of the NDA government in Manipur. JD(U) won 12 seats in the 2024 Indian general election, making it the seventh largest party in the Lok Sabha. JD(U) states that they believe in promoting social justice and lifting up marginalized peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lok Janshakti Party</span> Defunct political party in India

The Lok Janshakti Party was a state political party mainly based in the state of Bihar, India. The party was formed in 2000 when Ram Vilas Paswan split from Janata Dal. The party had a considerable following amongst Dalits in Bihar. The party is factioned into two parties Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nitish Kumar</span> 22nd Chief Minister of Bihar (born 1951)

Nitish Kumar is an Indian politician who has been serving as the 22nd chief minister of Bihar since 22 February 2015, having previously held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000. He is Bihar's longest serving chief minister whilst also holding the post for his 9th term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lalan Singh</span> Indian politician (born 1955)

Rajiv Ranjan Singh also known as Lalan Singh is an Indian politician who is serving as 11th Minister of Panchayati Raj, and 3rd Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying since 2024. He is also the Member of Parliament representing Munger in the 17th Lok Sabha from Janata Dal (United). He was the national party president of JDU from 31 July 2021 to 29 December 2023. He was also the former JD(U) Bihar unit President.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bihar Legislative Assembly</span> Lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Bihar

The Bihar Legislative Assembly also known as the Bihar Vidhan Sabha is the lower house of the bicameral Bihar Legislature of the state of Bihar in India. The first state elections were held in 1952.

The politics of Bihar, an eastern state of India, is dominated by regional political parties. As of 2021, the main political groups are Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United) (JDU), Indian National Congress (INC), Left Front, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM). There are also some smaller regional parties, including Samata Party, Hindustani Awam Morcha, Rashtriya Jan Jan Party, Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal, Jan Adhikar Party and Vikassheel Insaan Party, Lok Janshakti Party and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, which play a vital role in politics of state. As of 2024, Bihar is currently ruled by NDA, after JDU break out from Mahagatbandhan (Grandalliance) coalition and returned to NDA fold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Bihar Legislative Assembly election</span> Election in India

The Bihar legislative assembly election, 2010 was held in six phases over a period of one month starting from 21 October until 20 November in all 243 constituencies of Bihar, India. The election is conducted to elect the government in Bihar for a five-year term. The votes were scheduled to be counted on 24 November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijay Kumar Chaudhary</span> Indian politician

Vijay Kumar Chaudhary is an Indian politician. He has been a member of Bihar Legislative Assembly since 1982, and is currently serving as the Cabinet Minister for Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs ministries in the Government of Bihar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upendra Kushwaha</span> Former Minister of State for Human Resource Development, India

Upendra Kumar Singh, commonly known as Upendra Kushwaha is an Indian politician, and a former Member of Bihar Legislative Council and Bihar Legislative Assembly. He has also served as Minister of State for Human Resources and Development in the Government of India. Kushwaha is a former Member of Parliament (MP) from the Karakat constituency in Rohtas district, Bihar, and a former member of the Rajya Sabha. He was the leader of Rashtriya Samata Party (RSP), his own party, which merged into Janata Dal (United) (JDU) in 2009. Later, he formed Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), which also merged with JD(U) in 2021. On 20 February 2023, Kushwaha resigned from all positions in Janata Dal (United) and formed his own party called Rashtriya Lok Morcha due to his political problems with JD(U) and Nitish Kumar.

Uday Narayan Choudhary is an Indian politician. He served as the Speaker of the Bihar Legislative Assembly from 2005 to 2015. He was a prominent Dalit face in the JD(U) and represented the Imamganj Vidhan Sabha Constituency from 1990 to 1995 and then from 2000 to 2015, losing the 2015 election to former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. He crossed over to the RJD in 2019 to protest the breakup of the Mahagathbandhan and JD(U) joining hands with the BJP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jitan Ram Manjhi</span> Indian politician (born 1944)

Jitan Ram Manjhi is an Indian politician, serving as the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises since 2024. He is currently a Member of Parliament from Gaya constituency and was Bihar's 23rd Chief Minister from 20 May 2014 to 20 February 2015. He was the founding President of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM). Previously, he had served as minister for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes welfare in Nitish Kumar's cabinet. He has been a minister in several Bihar state governments, under multiple chief ministers like Chandrashekhar Singh, Bindeshwari Dubey, Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Jagannath Mishra, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election</span> Election in India

The Legislative Assembly election was held over five phases in Bihar through October–November 2015 before the end of the tenure of the prior Legislative Assembly of Bihar on 29 November 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindustani Awam Morcha</span> Indian political party

Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (English: Indian People's Front), abbreviated HAM(S), is an Indian political party with a presence in Bihar. In Bihar, this party is also a natural Allies of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) similar to Janata Dal (United). It received a new election symbol, the wok, for the Bihar Assembly election in 2020.

Mahagathbandhan, also known as Grand Alliance, is a coalition of political parties in the Eastern state of Bihar in India, formed ahead of the 2015 Vidhan Sabha elections in Bihar. The alliance consists of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Indian National Congress (INC) and Left parties including Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation-CPIML (Liberation) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), with Tejashwi Yadav as the chairperson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brishin Patel</span> Indian politician

Brishin Patel is an Indian politician. He was elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India from the Siwan in Bihar as a member of the Janata Dal. He was Minister of Education and Transport in Nitish Kumar cabinet. He was elected for record 6 times Member of Legislative Assembly from Vaishali, Bihar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Bihar Legislative Assembly election</span> Election in India

The Bihar Legislative Assembly election was held in three phases through October–November to elect members to the Seventeenth Bihar Legislative Assembly. The term of the previous Sixteenth Legislative Assembly of Bihar ended on 29 November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">17th Bihar Assembly</span> 17th Bihar Legislative Assembly

The Seventeenth Legislative Assembly of Bihar was constituted on 23 November 2020 as a result of Bihar Legislative Assembly election, 2020 held between 28 October 2020 to 7 November 2020.

The Eighth Nitish Kumar ministry was the Council of Ministers in Bihar Legislative Assembly headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. On August 9, 2022, he walked out of the BJP's NDA alliance and announced his resignation. He then decided to form a new government in Bihar along with the RJD and the Congress. Though Nitish Kumar from Janata Dal (United) is the Chief Minister of this government, Rashtriya Janata Dal was the largest party in this alliance. On 28 January 2024, he walked out of the INDIA (alliance) and announced his resignation. He then decided to form a new government in Bihar along with the BJP's NDA alliance.

Manoj Singh Kushwaha is a former minister of Bihar. Kushwaha was the Minor Water Resources minister in the Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet in 2014–15. He contested from the Kurhani Assembly constituency in February 2005, November 2005 and 2010 legislative assembly elections, and was victorious.

Bhim Singh Chandravanshi is an Indian educationist and politician who has been serving as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Bihar since 2024. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party since 2015, he holds the position of vice president of the BJP in the state of Bihar.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bihar political crisis: BJP will decide who to support on the floor of the House, says Shahnawaz Hussain-Politics News — IBNLive Mobile". IBNlive. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Nitish wins trust vote in Bihar, says BJP won't win in 2014 polls".
  3. ↑ "Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi to be new CM of Bihar". Daily News and Analysis . 19 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Nitish Kumar's gambit is based on arithmetic". The Economic Times . 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Foe to friend: Lalu's RJD backs JD-U govt in Bihar". India Today . Patna. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "Lalu's RJD announces support to Jitan Ram Manjhi's JD(U) government in Bihar". Economic Times . 22 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi expelled from JD(U)". ABP Live. Patna.
  8. ↑ "Bihar political crisis: Patna High Court stays Nitish Kumar's election as JDU legislature party chief-Politics News — IBNLive Mobile". IBNlive. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "Bihar crisis: Confident Nitish and defiant Manjhi fight it out". dna. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  10. 1 2 "'Scripted in Delhi,' Alleges Nitish Kumar After Bihar Governor Gives Jitan Ram Manjhi Another Chance". NDTV. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  11. ↑ PTI (2015-02-15). "JD(U) and its allies blame governor, BJP for political crisis in Bihar". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
  12. ↑ "Modi has no role in Bihar political crisis: Naidu". The Times of India Mobile Site. 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  13. ↑ "Manjhi visiting Delhi to discuss next script: JD (U)". Zee News. 2015-02-15. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
  14. ↑ "BJP to back Manjhi during trust vote, JD(U) to sit in opposition". www.hindustantimes.com/. 18 February 2015. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Political crisis in Bihar: Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi expelled from JD(U), says KC Tyagi". IBNlive. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  16. ↑ Singh, Sanjay (19 February 2015). "Win or lose: Bihar's Nitish vs Manjhi war is more about prestige than politics". Firstpost. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "Manjhi resigns as Bihar CM ahead of trust vote, says his supporters got death threats". The Times of India. 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2015-02-20.
  18. ↑ "LIVE Updates: Nitish Kumar to be Bihar chief minister again, invited to form government on Feb 22". dna. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  19. ↑ "Nitish Kumar takes oath along with 22 other ministers, says will work with PM Modi for Bihar's growth". Zee News. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  20. ↑ "Jitan Ram Manjhi forms 'HAM', alleges Nitish got Bihar Nivas washed with Ganga water-Politics News - IBNLive Mobile". IBNlive. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  21. ↑ "Jitan Ram Manjhi announces new party as Hindustani Awam Morcha". IBNlive. 2015-05-08. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  22. ↑ "Bihar Deal: BJP Wins over Jitan Ram Manjhi, Now Paswan Upset, Say Sources".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.