The Growing List Of Political Leaders Who Ditched INDIA Bloc for NDA-BJP, As Lok Sabha Polls Near

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc is currently in the midst of a political upheaval as key figures and parties make the leap to join the BJP-led NDA. Congress heavyweight Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath have recently become the focus of attention amid speculations about their potential switch to the BJP. Despite denials from Congress leaders, Kamal Nath has yet to address these rumours.

Political Leaders Who Quit INDIA Bloc

Nitish Kumar- For the fourth time in the past 10 years, Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) President Nitish Kumar on January 28, switched his political allegiance by quitting the INDIA coalition and joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"I have resigned as things were not working and the state of affairs within the ruling alliance [in Bihar] was not good. The government has also been dissolved," Nitish Kumar told the reporters after his resignation. The big switch came just a year after Kumar stated that he would rather die than think of re-aligning with BJP. 

Congress leaders have asserted that Nitish Kumar’s exit will not have any adverse impact on INDIA bloc and is being seen as “good riddance”. 

Ashok Chavan- Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, a prominent figure in the state's political landscape quit the Congress party on February 13. The decision marked the end of his family's long association with the grand old party. 

Chavan, who served as Chief Minister from December 2008 to November 2010, cited "better opportunities" as the reason for his departure, stating that this move was not motivated by any other factors.

Shankarrao Chavan, Ashok Chavan's father, was a highly regarded figure within the Congress party and shared a close bond with former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Milind Deora -Senior Congress leader Milind Deora who was known to have a close bond with Rahul Gandhi on January 14 announced his resignation from the Congress party, and joined the Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. 

"I have tendered my resignation from the primary membership of Congress, ending my family's 55-year relationship with the party," he said in a post on X. "I am grateful to all leaders, colleagues & karyakartas for their unwavering support over the years," he added.

Son of Congress veteran Murli Deora, Milind’s departure from the party brought an end to his family's 55-year relationship with the Congress. 

Jagadish Shettar- Ex-Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar re-joined the BJP on January 25, less than a year after he left the party on account of ill-treatment. Shettar, 68, had joined the Congress in April 2023, after BJP denied him a ticket to contest from the Hubli-Dharwad (Central) region. He lost the seat to BJP’s Mahesh Tenginkai by a big margin when he contested elections as a candidate of the Congress party.

On re-joining the BJP, the six-time MLA said, “I decided to re-join the BJP to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Under the leadership of Mr. Modi, the country witnessed a lot of development. We need to strengthen his hands so that he could become the PM for the third time.”

Baba Siddique - On February 8, Baba Siddique announced his immediate resignation from the Congress's primary membership after 48 years with the party. "I had to make a decision, and I have made it. When you don't understand something and it doesn't improve despite repeated attempts, you realize that you are no longer needed and should move on. So, I have moved on," Siddique stated. 

The former minister and three-time MLA  joined the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Siddique, a prominent Muslim figure in the Mumbai Congress, had previously served as a minister during the Congress-NCP coalition's tenure in Maharashtra. 

Jayant Chaudhary - Jayant Chaudhary, the chief of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Saturday hinted at a possible tie-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the Lok Sabha elections. He stated that the decision to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was made after consulting with all the MLAs and workers of his party. 

On joining NDA, Jayant Chaudhary said, "...I took this decision after speaking to all the MLAs and workers of my party. There was no big planning behind this decision, we had to take this decision within a short time because of the situation. We want to do something good for the people..."

Jayant Chaudhary, who is the grandson of India's fifth Prime Minister, Chaudhary Charan Singh, and the son of former Union minister Ajit Singh, currently serves as the chief of RLD. The RLD's voter base is primarily concentrated in the Jat belt of western Uttar Pradesh, where it has historically been strong, although its influence has been diminishing of late.