"Oppn might have expressed views strongly had Tejashwi been there": BJP's Maithili Thakur

Patna (Bihar) [India], December 4 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Maithili Thakur on Thursday missed the presence of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav in the Bihar legislative assembly on the third day of the first assembly session after the formation of the newly formed government in the state.
Speaking to ANI, she said the opposition might have expressed its views more strongly if Tejashwi Yadav had been present in the assembly session today.
"It was the first time I experienced discussions in the House. I was listening and observing how people spoke and presented their views. The presence of Tejashwi Yadav was missing, and the opposition might have expressed their views more strongly had he been there," Thakur said.
"Overall, today's discussion was healthy. Samrat Chaudhary explained to the House how encroachment, liquor mafia, and sand mafia are being controlled," she added.
Maithili Thakur (25) emerged victorious from Alinagar Assembly constituency by a margin of 11,730 votes, becoming the youngest MLA in the state. She made her political debut in this assembly election, securing 84,915 votes and defeating RJD's veteran leader Binod Mishra (63), who received only 73,185 votes.
Prem Kumar has been elected as the speaker of the Bihar legislative assembly, emerging as the unanimous choice of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He took charge of the prestigious post on Tuesday, following a formal announcement, after filing his nomination earlier.
The first session of the newly constituted Bihar Legislative Assembly commenced on Monday, marked by the arrival of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, and all newly elected MLAs. The session began with Pro-tem Speaker Narendra Narayan Yadav administering the oath to members in phases, starting with the ministers, then the Leader of Opposition, and other legislators.
Newly elected MLAs expressed confidence and reiterated their resolve to work for the people of Bihar. JD(U) MLA-elect Vinay Kumar Chaudhary emphasised the party's continued commitment to public welfare, saying, "We work for the public and will continue to do so."
The session comes days after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar allocated portfolios to the newly sworn-in NDA ministers. In a significant shift, the Home Department has been handed over to Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Samrat Choudhary, marking the first time since 2005 that Nitish Kumar will not hold the key ministry. He has retained departments including General Administration, Cabinet Secretariat, Vigilance, and Election.
Deputy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha has taken charge of Land and Revenue, Geology and Mines, while BJP leaders Mangal Pandey, Dilip Jaiswal, Nitin Nabin, Arun Shankar Prasad, and Ramkripal Yadav have been allocated crucial portfolios ranging from Health and Law to Roads, Tourism, and Agriculture.