Senior JD(U) leader Bijay Kumar Choudhary is set to become the Speaker of Bihar Assembly, party leaders have said. The Assembly will go into session from Monday. Choudhary was water resources minister in the previous government and is known to be close to CM Nitish Kumar. An upper caste Bhumihar leader, Choudhary was elected from Sarairanjan seat. Though there has been no official announcement, Choudhary’s elevation is almost certain as all other contenders have been sworn in as ministers. Sources said JD(U) had to bargain hard with allies RJD and Congress to ensure the Speaker was from its ranks. “With RJD getting the deputy CM position and other key portfolios, the Grand Alliance reached a consensus on Choudhary’s name,” said a JD (U) leader. On Sunday, senior Congress leader Sadanand Singh was sworn in as protem Speaker and will continue till the new Speaker takes over on December 2. Meanwhile, Gaya Town MLA Prem Kumar has been selected as BJP’s leader in the Assembly. Kumar, a seventh term MLA and EBC Kahar leader, will now be leader of Opposition. Sources said former leader of Opposition and Patna Sahib MLA Nand Kishore Yadav did not want to continue and proposed his name. Kumar had been showcased by BJP as an EBC face and was often seen alongside PM Narendra Modi during his rallies. His elevation is being seen as a significant shift in BJP’s politics as it shows the transfer of power from OBC leadership to EBC leadership. The move to elevate Kumar is being seen as BJP’s effort to reach out to EBC voters, a large chunk of who voted against the BJP in the 2015 polls. The elevation is also significant as Kumar has not been a part of the first rung of BJP’s state leaders like Sushil Kumar Modi, Nand Kishore Yadav and Ashwini Kumar Choubey. Sushil Kumar Modi is likely to continue as BJP’s legislature party leader and leader of Opposition in Legislative Council. Meanwhile, RJD chief Lalu Prasad is likely to announce the name of his younger son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as RJD’s leader in the Assembly. “He is the most natural choice after becoming deputy CM,” said an RJD leader.
