Who Sank The INDIA Bloc? JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha Points To 'Sabotage' By Mamata, Kejriwal

Last Updated:June 08, 2026, 09:29 IST

JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha said Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal scuttled a consensus plan to make Nitish Kumar the bloc's convenor, exposing a lack of trust within the grouping

As leaders of the INDIA bloc gather in New Delhi on Monday for yet another attempt to project opposition unity, a key ally-turned-critic has offered a blunt explanation for why the coalition struggled to stay together in the first place.

JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha, speaking at an event organised by The Indian Express, has accused TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal of sabotaging the opposition alliance at a crucial moment, claiming the two leaders scuttled a consensus plan to make Nitish Kumar the bloc’s convenor and exposed the deeper lack of trust and cohesion within the grouping.

“Two people destroyed the India Bloc alliance—I am on record: their names are Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal," Jha said, offering one of the most direct insider accounts yet of the tensions that plagued the opposition coalition, which was formed in 2023 to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

ALSO READ | 23 Parties, Minus DMK: Here’s How INDIA Bloc Will Line Up For Monday’s Meeting

According to Jha, opposition leaders had broadly agreed that Kumar, who hosted the first meeting of opposition parties at his Patna residence in June 2023, would serve as the alliance’s convenor. However, he claimed that the plan was derailed during a subsequent meeting when Banerjee and Kejriwal proposed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for the role instead.

“A consensus had been reached that Nitish Kumar would be the convener. But in the meeting, these two came in, probably as a planned move, and said there should be a Dalit Convener, proposing Kharge sahab," Jha said.

The move, he argued, put the Congress leadership in a difficult position and effectively blocked Kumar’s elevation within the alliance structure. “Nitish-ji was never desperate to be the Convener. He was bringing everyone onto one platform. But the move was sabotaged," he said.

Jha’s comments revive questions about the internal contradictions that dogged the INDIA bloc from its inception. While the alliance succeeded in bringing together parties with sharply different ideological positions and regional interests, disagreements over leadership, seat-sharing and strategy repeatedly surfaced in public.

ALSO READ | DMK Distanced, TMC Torn Up, AAP Out: How Congress-Led INDIA Bloc Hit Existential Crisis

The JD(U) leader suggested that these tensions reflected a deeper problem within the coalition. “There was no plan, vision or cohesiveness in the bloc," he said, adding that several regional parties believed Congress lacked a broader national strategy beyond the states where it directly competed electorally.

“Regional parties felt that Congress only does politics in a few states and it doesn’t affect them much."

Jha’s remarks are particularly significant because Nitish Kumar was among the earliest proponents of opposition unity. The Bihar leader hosted the first major opposition conclave in Patna, helping lay the groundwork for what later became the INDIA bloc. Yet within months, growing strains emerged, culminating in Kumar’s return to the NDA in early 2024.

About the Author

Apoorva Misra

Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, ...Read More

News india Who Sank The INDIA Bloc? JD(U)'s Sanjay Jha Points To 'Sabotage' By Mamata, Kejriwal

Read More