Congress leaders disagree over Nitish Kumar’s exit from opposition alliance

Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Digvijaya Singh reportedly disagreed over Nitish Kumar’s 2024 departure from the INDIA bloc during a meeting of the party’s Working Committee. According to Congress sources cited in the report, Singh said the opposition alliance should not have allowed Kumar to leave and argued that the political situation might have been different had he stayed. Gandhi responded that Kumar had always been looking for a way out and that it was fortunate he left when he did.

She also alleged that he was being controlled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the sources. Kumar left Bihar’s opposition Mahagathbandhan in January 2024 and formed a government with the BJP. He subsequently took oath as chief minister for a ninth time.

The exchange took place as the Congress discussed its political strategy and its confrontation with the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The Congress Working Committee adopted a resolution demanding that the revision be suspended. The party also called for the restoration of 13.3 crore names it said had been removed from electoral rolls and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Congress said it would intensify its challenge in Parliament, the courts and on the streets. The dispute over Kumar’s departure preceded an INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for Wednesday, where opposition parties were expected to discuss a joint response to the electoral-roll exercise. The meeting was attended by Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.