The opposition INDIA group has nominated Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, as its head. Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, was also appointed convener following weeks of back-and-forth among the alliance parties over the crucial position. The decision was made on Saturday during the leaders of the INDIA bloc’s virtual conference.
The decision will be communicated to Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the Samajwadi Party, and Mamata Banerjee, the supremo of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), who were not present at the meeting, according to those with knowledge of the development.

Participating in the meeting, JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha stated that Nitish Kumar declined the role of convener, stating that the Congress party should assume the job instead. The Indian Express reported that Kumar stated he would only take the position if everyone was on board.

The coalition was intended to face the BJP-led juggernaut of Narendra Modi in the general election of 2024, but it had been beset by internal divisions over a number of issues, including the divisive choice of a convenor. The TMC was resisting the JD(U)’s request for Nitish Kumar to serve as convener, according to PTI.

The leaders of the INDIA bloc convened virtually on Saturday afternoon to discuss the alliance’s critical problems, including participation in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, seat-sharing, and other matters of great importance.

Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), participated in the INDIA bloc leaders’ meeting in Mumbai over video conference.

MK Stalin, the leader of the DMK in Tamil Nadu, and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, the leader of the party, participated in the video conference in Chennai.
According to the PTI story, the discussion on Saturday was the second effort at a virtual meeting of this kind; the first attempt, which was made a few days before, did not succeed.