'Who cares if Congress objects?': Mamata Banerjee's leadership pitch for INDIA bloc gains support from Lalu Yadav, Sharad Pawar

The leadership question within the INDIA bloc has once again sparked tensions, with West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee’s recent remarks deepening the divisions in the Opposition alliance.

Veteran Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and long-time Gandhi family ally Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday lent his support to Banerjee’s assertion that she could lead the INDIA bloc if others failed to do so. Responding to her comments, Lalu told reporters, “Theek hai, de dena chaahiye. Ham sahmat hain (It’s fine, she should be given the responsibility. We are in agreement).” When asked about possible objections from the Congress, Lalu was unequivocal: “It doesn’t matter… Mamata ko de do (Give the responsibility to Mamata).”

Lalu’s backing comes shortly after Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar praised Banerjee’s leadership credentials. Pawar described her as “capable” and justified her claim, saying, “She is a capable leader and has the right to say it. The MPs she has sent to Parliament are hardworking and aware.”

While these endorsements reflect growing fissures within the alliance, Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav offered a contrasting stance. On Monday, Yadav reiterated that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remains the leader of the INDIA bloc “as of now.” Speaking in Saifai, Uttar Pradesh, Yadav’s response came in the context of questions about Rahul Gandhi’s potential leadership of the alliance.

However, Yadav also emphasized the SP’s commitment to the alliance, saying his party wants the INDIA bloc to “prevail and contest elections together.” Despite this, tensions between the SP and Congress have escalated since the Lok Sabha elections, particularly over seat-sharing disagreements.

For the Congress, these public endorsements of Banerjee’s leadership reflect mounting challenges. The Lok Sabha election results, which saw the INDIA bloc reduce the BJP to below a majority and Congress securing 99 seats, marked a high point for the grand old party. However, this momentum has been undercut by a string of electoral setbacks — particularly its shocking defeats in the Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls and its underwhelming performance in Jammu and Kashmir.

The TMC and SP remain critical players within the INDIA bloc. Congress leads the coalition as the largest party, but the SP, its second-largest partner, and the TMC, the third-largest, are increasingly asserting their influence. Adding to Congress’s woes, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already distanced itself by declaring its intention to contest the Delhi Assembly elections independently. Even in a scenario where AAP cooperates, Congress is unlikely to play more than a secondary role in the national capital.

Lalu’s endorsement of Banerjee could also carry strategic implications ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections next year. The Congress’s declining influence in Bihar has left it heavily reliant on the RJD, which is unlikely to offer it a generous share of seats in the upcoming polls. Lalu’s remarks, therefore, may also signal the RJD’s growing confidence and a subtle message to its ally in the state.

Within the Congress, Banerjee’s comments have been largely dismissed as “posturing” with limited practical consequences. A senior Congress leader remarked, “The TMC has not been attending meetings of INDIA bloc floor leaders in Parliament. When we ask them, they say the TMC is not part of the bloc. And then Mamata says she is ready to lead the alliance — it’s surprising.”

Congress leaders insist that decisions on the INDIA bloc’s leadership will be made collectively and not dictated by any single party. As one leader put it, “The alliance will decide this together. No one party can impose its will or make unilateral comments.”

However, as cracks widen within the Opposition, Banerjee’s remarks and the subsequent endorsements from Lalu and Pawar underscore the leadership vacuum that Congress is struggling to fill. For now, Banerjee’s claim may be seen as provocative, but it reflects a deeper recalibration of power within the INDIA bloc — one that Congress can no longer afford to ignore.