INDI Alliance Failing After First Major Stress Test? Meet Called Off After Nitish Kumar, Akhilesh Yadav, Mamata Banerjee Back Out

The INDI Alliance meeting scheduled for Wednesday (6 December) in Delhi has been deferred, as per sources informing NDTV this afternoon.

The delay follows statements from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, both indicating their intentions to skip the gathering.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also announced on Monday that she would not be in attendance. Notably, all three are key figures within the bloc, with Nitish Kumar considered a founding member.

Earlier today, according to NDTV sources, Nitish Kumar and Akhilesh Yadav planned to send representatives in their stead. The Janata Dal (United) leader was expected to delegate party President Rajiv Ranjan and senior figure Sanjay Jha. Likewise, Akhilesh Yadav, the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, was anticipated to send his uncle and Rajya Sabha MP, Ramgopal Yadav.

Despite this, sources hinted that the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the other half of the Bihar government, would still be represented by its top leaders—party patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Tejashwi Yadav, who serves as the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister.