The INDIA bloc is facing fresh turmoil after its poor performance in the recent Bihar Assembly elections. Even though Mallikarjun Kharge is still the official chairman and Rahul Gandhi continues as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, many alliance partners are now openly questioning the leadership structure. The loudest demand for change is coming from the Samajwadi Party (SP), which wants Akhilesh Yadav to take charge of the entire coalition.
SP leaders say Akhilesh Yadav has shown strong commitment and sacrifice, proving he is capable of leading the bloc. SP MLA Ravidas Mehrotra highlighted that even though the Samajwadi Party did not contest a single seat in Bihar, Akhilesh still addressed 26 major rallies to support the alliance. He added that this showed Yadav’s willingness to put the coalition’s interests ahead of his own party.
Mehrotra also criticised the friction between the Congress and the RJD during the Bihar elections. He said that “friendly fights” on 13 seats damaged the bloc’s credibility and that the Congress should have supported the RJD, the largest opposition party in the state, instead of competing with it. He further claimed that the SP is strong enough to defeat the BJP alone in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, but unity among opposition parties remains important.
Echoing similar views, SP spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan Chand said party workers believe Akhilesh Yadav is the real leader of the INDIA bloc. He credited Yadav for building the alliance through padyatras and continuous outreach, and insisted that future elections should focus on candidates’ “social capacity” and political strength.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took a sharp dig at the bloc. Without naming Rahul Gandhi, AAP remarked that “one should not go on vacation in the middle of a campaign,” referring to Gandhi’s wildlife safari in Madhya Pradesh during the Bihar elections. AAP also said the Congress needs serious self-reflection after its weak performance.
The BJP has used these internal disagreements to attack the alliance. BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said the INDIA bloc is “finished” and suggested this was proof of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier prediction that opposition leaders would reject Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
However, the Congress dismissed these claims. Party spokesperson Surendra Rajput insisted that the alliance is united and that all leaders share responsibility. He said the NDA, not the INDIA bloc, is controlled by a single party.
