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Rabri Devi to seek confidence vote on March 16

Rabri Devi, who took over as the 30th chief minister of Bihar on Saturday, a day after the fall of the Nitish Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance government, will seek a vote of confidence in the state assembly on March 16.

The two-day session of the state assembly commencing on March 15 would also pass the vote-on-accounts for the first three months of 2000-2001.

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ramchandra Purve said in Patna on Sunday that the session would be of only two days because of the Id and Holi festivals beginning March 17.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal, which has 123 members in the 325-member House, would have to struggle hard to achieve the magic number of 163.

The Congress has extended support of its 23 members to the RJD, while the two members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and five of the Bahujan Samaj Party have also promised to support the Rabri Devi government.

However, the Congress is yet to decide whether it would be supporting the government from outside or whether it would participate in the government.

The Congress Working Committee meeting in New Delhi on Monday is likely to take the decision.

The five-member Communist Party of India has announced its decision to oppose the confidence motion, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) has not yet decided which way its six MLAs would go.

Most of the Congress legislators are interested in joining the Rabri Devi ministry. State assembly speaker Sadanand Singh, a former Bihar Congress Committee president, left for Delhi this evening to discuss the matter with the high command.

The NDA with its 121 members and the support of a sizeable number of Independents are likely to give the RJD a tough time.

The alliance is holding a state-wide dharna tomorrow to make the people aware of the nexus between the Congress and the RJD.

UNI

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