Patna, In a display of cross-party consensus rare in Bihar’s often fractious politics, the state legislative assembly on Tuesday unanimously elected Dr Prem Kumar, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker and nine-time MLA from Gaya Town, as its new Speaker on the second day of the winter session.
The election, conducted without contest, saw Mr Kumar’s candidature proposed by Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and seconded by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary. Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislators, including Rahul Kumar, publicly declared they had no candidate of their own and extended full support, ensuring Mr Kumar’s elevation by acclamation.
Following the announcement, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (Janata Dal (United)) and Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) jointly escorted the new Speaker to the chair — a symbolic gesture underscoring the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) comfortable majority and the opposition’s willingness to cooperate on procedural matters. The House resounded with chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram”.
Congratulating Mr Kumar, Mr Yadav said: “We have full faith that you will take both the treasury and opposition benches along and will not disappoint anyone.” Similar felicitations came from Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Sinha, as well as representatives of smaller parties including the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Congress, HAM, AIMIM, and the Left.
A seasoned parliamentarian from the EBC community
Dr Prem Kumar, 67, is among Bihar’s most enduring electoral successes. First elected in 1990 on a BJP ticket, he has never lost the Gaya Town seat, winning consecutively in 1995, 2000, February and October 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and most recently in the 2025 assembly election — a streak of nine straight victories.
A prominent leader of the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC) — a crucial voting bloc in Bihar — Mr Kumar holds a doctorate from Magadh University and entered politics during the Jayaprakash Narayan movement. He has served as cabinet minister in multiple Nitish Kumar governments, handling over ten portfolios including road construction and urban development, and was Leader of the Opposition between 2015 and 2017.
He becomes only the third BJP legislator to occupy the Speaker’s chair in Bihar, after Vijay Kumar Sinha and Nand Kishore Yadav.
New assembly, new members
The ongoing winter session marks the inaugural sitting of the 18th Bihar Legislative Assembly, elected last month. On Monday, 235 of the 243 newly elected members took oath, administered by Protem Speaker Narendra Narayan Yadav. Seven members, including six who were absent and the incarcerated independent MLA Anant Singh, will be sworn in later.
Notably, over 100 first-time legislators have joined the House. A special orientation workshop is planned to familiarise them with legislative procedures, question hour, zero hour, and starred and unstarred questions.
Oaths were administered in multiple languages: 209 in Hindi, with others opting for Maithili (14 members from Mithilanchal), Urdu, Sanskrit, and English, reflecting Bihar’s linguistic diversity.
With the Speaker’s election completed smoothly, the NDA government — which retained power with a strengthened majority in the 2025 polls — is expected to push forward its legislative agenda in the coming days, while the RJD-led opposition, now reduced in numbers, signalled a conciliatory opening tone.
