Budget session in Bihar legislature likely to be stormy as state bye-elections, Rajya Sabha polls loom

Patna: The budget session of both Houses of Bihar legislature, which gets underway from Monday, is likely to be a stormy one in view of the by-elections to be held in a few constituencies. The ruling NDA and opposition RJD-Congress alliance have gone into poll mode in the run-up to the Rajya Sabha biennial polls which is also slated for March. The session would begin with address of the governor to a joint sitting of the two Houses while the budget for 2018-19 and supplementary demand grant for 2017-18 will be presented the next day. In all, there are 24 working days in the budget session during which the truncated Grand Alliance of RJD-Congress is likely to make all efforts to put the ruling NDA in the dock over alleged lack of adequate action in Srijan scam, irregularities in construction of toilets, poor law and order and high-handedness in implementation of prohibition. [caption id=“attachment_2526624” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the Bihar Assembly. Image courtesy: Bihar Vidhan Sabha website[/caption] With bye-elections for two Assembly and one parliamentary constituencies besides six Rajya Sabha seats scheduled for March, both the alliances are also likely to corner each other over CBI and ED inquiries into allegations of corruption against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family members as also the Srijan scam and bungling in construction of toilets in which the opposition has been alleging the involvement of people close to the ruling NDA. The by-polls, scheduled for 11 March, and the Rajya Sabha by-elections on 23 March - will provide the first opportunity for trial of strength between the two sides since the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) broke away from the Grand Alliance in July 2017 and rejoined the NDA to form the present coalition government.