Leaders from 23 opposition parties gathered in Delhi for a crucial INDIA bloc meeting, with alliance coordination, trust among partners and strategy against the BJP under focus.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav attend the INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Monday. | ANI
Top opposition leaders assembled in the national capital on Monday for a key INDIA bloc meeting that comes at a politically sensitive moment for the alliance, with several partners publicly expressing reservations over Congress’ recent political moves and the coalition’s internal functioning.
The meeting at the Constitution Club is expected to focus on the opposition’s strategy against the BJP, but discussions are also taking place against the backdrop of growing unease among some alliance constituents. Questions over coordination, mutual trust and political messaging have surfaced in recent weeks, particularly after electoral setbacks and disagreements between alliance partners in different states.
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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal were among the senior leaders who arrived for the meeting.
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Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee attended the meeting along with party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan and leaders from Left parties were also present.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray was scheduled to join virtually.
#WATCH | Delhi | Visuals from the INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club in India.
Leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, Supriya Sule, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, present. pic.twitter.com/uSvS9xk8cc
— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2026
According to senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, representatives of 23 political parties were expected to participate in the meeting. He maintained that opposition parties remained united despite speculation about differences within the bloc.
Ahead of the meeting, KC Venugopal accused the BJP of being uneasy about the opposition gathering.
“You understand how scared the BJP is of this meeting,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
Responding to questions about posters targeting Rahul Gandhi that appeared at several locations in Delhi, Venugopal said, “I don’t see any posters.”
Amid reports that some allies were skipping the meeting, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby said his decision not to attend should not be interpreted as the party distancing itself from the opposition alliance.
Speaking to IANS, Baby said the CPI(M) had played an important role in the formation and coordination of the INDIA bloc but objected to allegations made by senior Congress leaders during elections in Kerala.
He said Congress leaders had accused the CPI(M), the Left parties and the Left Democratic Front of having an understanding with the BJP, allegations he described as baseless and unacceptable.
Baby said he had written to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on the issue and shared the communication with other INDIA bloc constituents.
“This does not mean that we are disassociating from the INDIA bloc. Our Rajya Sabha member John Brittas will attend the INDIA bloc meeting today,” he said.
He added that Congress, as the principal opposition party, should do more to coordinate with allies and take them into confidence if it wants to build a stronger opposition front against the BJP.
Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja said one of the issues likely to be raised was the criticism directed at the Left during the Kerala Assembly election campaign.
“The Left has an alliance with the BJP. Such things cannot be accepted; there has to be a mutual trust. In the absence of mutual respect and trust, how can we build a united movement?” Raja said.
He added that the INDIA bloc had been formed with the common objective of “Desh Bachao, BJP Hatao” and said discussions should focus on how opposition parties can strengthen that effort.
The CPI(M) has also conveyed its concerns to Congress over what it described as a systematic campaign against its leadership during the Kerala polls. Despite those reservations, the party decided that Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas would participate in Monday’s meeting.
Raja also referred to the absence of some alliance partners and noted that the DMK had publicly expressed concerns about Congress’ conduct.
He said it remained to be seen which leaders would attend the meeting and what issues would dominate the discussions once deliberations began.
The meeting assumes significance as opposition parties attempt to regroup and define a common political strategy while managing differences among alliance partners across states.
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