INDIA Bloc Members Wanted a Congress-Minus Front, JDU Counters Sonia Gandhi

JDU working president Sanjay Jha rejected Sonia Gandhi’s remarks on Nitish Kumar’s exit from the INDIA bloc, saying several opposition leaders had earlier favoured a front without Congress.

By All India Story

30 Sep 2026, 2:46 PM IST 2 min read

JDU leader Sanjay Jha reacts to Sonia Gandhi's remarks on Nitish Kumar and the INDIA bloc — JDU working president Sanjay Jha responded to Sonia Gandhi’s remarks on Nitish Kumar’s exit from the INDIA bloc.

The INDIA bloc has witnessed a fresh war of words after JDU working president Sanjay Jha responded to Sonia Gandhi’s remarks about Nitish Kumar’s exit from the opposition alliance. Jha claimed that several leaders who are currently part of the INDIA bloc had initially wanted an opposition front without the Congress.

Speaking to India Today, Jha said he had witnessed meetings during the early stages of the alliance and claimed that some opposition leaders had approached Nitish Kumar seeking meetings without Congress representatives.

“These INDIA bloc members who have come today always wanted to form a front minus Congress,” Jha said.

JDU's claim over Nitish Kumar

Jha also rejected the suggestion that Nitish Kumar had been seeking the convenor's position in the INDIA bloc. He claimed Kumar never wanted the post and eventually decided to leave the alliance after becoming dissatisfied with the Congress's approach.

His remarks came after Sonia Gandhi reportedly said that Kumar had been looking for ways to leave the INDIA bloc and suggested that his departure had been expected.

The comments followed a disagreement within the Congress Working Committee over Kumar's 2024 decision to leave the opposition alliance in Bihar and return to an arrangement with the BJP.

Nitish Kumar's 2024 exit

Nitish Kumar left the Mahagathbandhan in January 2024 and subsequently formed a government with the BJP in Bihar, taking oath as chief minister for the ninth time.

The political dispute has resurfaced ahead of an INDIA bloc meeting where opposition parties are expected to discuss their strategy on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and issues concerning the Election Commission.

The Congress Working Committee has also adopted resolutions opposing the ongoing SIR exercise and raising allegations concerning electoral-roll changes.

Jha's latest comments add another layer to the continuing differences within the opposition alliance, with both Congress and JDU leaders offering competing accounts of why Nitish Kumar left the INDIA bloc and how the alliance functioned in its early stages.