Patna: Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar, is set to comfortably win a trust vote. Despite earlier warnings of voting against him, the BJP, who Mr Kumar ended a 17-year alliance with on Sunday, has decided to boycott the vote by walking out of the Assembly. And the Congress, which has been signalling an interest in partnering with Mr Kumar, is likely to support him.
Mr Kumar's own party, the Janata Dal United or JD(U), has 118 legislators; it needs just four more votes to win the vote.
(Live Blog)Sources in the Congress say that their decision to vote with Mr Kumar today is not the foundation of a new alliance. But as Mr Kumar's relationship with the BJP hurtled towards a split, the Congress has been unsubtle in its overtures.
On Monday, the Prime Minister praised the chief minister as "a secular leader." Mr Kumar said the compliment has given him "peace of mind."
The Congress says its support for Mr Kumar in today's vote is based on the fact that he attributed his split with the BJP to the growing stature of Narendra Modi, who the JD(U) and Congress describe as a divisive leader. Mr Modi was at the helm when riots lacerated Gujarat in 2002, leaving hundreds of Muslims dead. Mr Modi and the BJP have rejected charges that he didn't do enough to protect them.
Earlier today the BJP, smarting from being dumped by Mr Kumar, had decided to vote against him. But that put it in the uncomfortable position of voting on the same side as Lalu Yadav, the former chief minister of Bihar with who its shares a hostile political relationship.