Ahead of trust vote, Bihar Speaker says will not quit

Sinha is not likely to face a no-confidence motion, which the BJP is set to lose, as the Grand Alliance is seen as having the backing of 164 MLAs in the 243-member House.

Enphasising that he will “not resign from my position”, Sinha on Tuesday said, “RJD legislators had not served me the no-confidence motion on August 9 in a proper format. They did so on August 10.”

As per rule, he said, there has to be a 14-day gap before the motion is taken up, excluding the day the notice is served and the day of trust vote. Thus, if Sinha does not resign as Speaker on Wednesday, he could face the no-confidence motion only on Thursday — the 14th day — in the two-day special session called for trust vote.

Sources in BJP said Sinha was against resigning because he wants to say “certain things on legislative procedures, and about his tenure as Speaker” before he steps down. “As Sinha had a spat with CM Nitish Kumar during the last Assembly session, the party wants to play him up as the leader who can take on the CM as an Opposition MLA now,” a source in the saffron party said.

RJD national spokesperson Subodh Kumar told The Indian Express: “When there is a no-confidence motion in place against the Speaker, he does not have constitutional morality to preside over the House. Yet, if he continues, the House can pass a resolution against him and appoint a pro-tem Speaker.”