Senior-most Bihar minister Jagtanand Singh, who moved these two resolutions, also moved another resolution urging President K R Narayanan not to allow the Bill to be moved in Parliament and it was carried by a voice vote.

Those who voted against the Vananchal Bill included 146 members of RJD, nine Independents, 15 Congress members from the northern part of Bihar and six expelled CPI members.

However, after scoring a victory over the Vananchal issue, the ruling RJD was seeking a vote of confidence in the Rabri Devi ministry to thwart the reported move for imposition of President's rule in Bihar despite the assertion by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that the mere fact of a State government enjoying majority support wasnot enough to prevent the use of Article 356.

Vajpayee had recently said that the choice was between majority and chaos even as BJP mounted pressure for the dismissal of Rabri Devi government saying it had no justification to remain in power ``now that the Governor has said there is a breakdown of Constitution''.