West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed gratitude to the leaders of India Alliance for trusting and respecting her leadership. She said that she would continue to strive for national development and the welfare of citizens. Mamata reiterated that she was the founder of the alliance and that it was her responsibility to lead it properly.
The opposition's leadership has been questioned, especially in the backdrop of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's defeats in the recent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Mamata's claim of being prepared to lead the alliance has not gone down well with everyone in the opposition camp. Leaders from the Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) have welcomed Mamata's claim to lead the opposition alliance. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari described Mamata as an important figure in the anti-BJP struggle and said decisions regarding leadership would be collective among the alliance members.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said Mamata was important for the opposition alliance and expressed his plan to visit Kolkata along with other leaders and meet and discuss strategies with Mamata, fondly called "Didi."
Former Bihar Chief Minister and leader of the RJD Lalu Prasad Yadav openly supported Mamata's leadership from the alliance. He did just what the TMC declared: their leader has successfully countered the BJP in Bengal in every three consecutive terms, hence having what it takes to lead the coalition.
TMC leaders argue that Mamata's proven track record in governance makes her best suited to lead the India Alliance. However, Congress has expressed skepticism about her ability because of her limited success in trying to expand the influence of the TMC beyond West Bengal. This divergence does point out the challenge in uniting a single leader for the opposition.
