New Delhi: Leaders of the INDIA bloc gathered in the national capital on Monday to reinforce their alliance and recalibrate their approach against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of future electoral battles.
Key figures in attendance included Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray joined the deliberations virtually.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, who was present, reaffirmed his party’s steadfast commitment to the alliance. “Shiv Sena (UBT) remains a committed member of the INDIA alliance. Our consistent stance has been—and will continue to be—that the INDIA bloc becomes more united and stronger,” he stated. Raut added that the parties would jointly tackle the serious challenges confronting the nation and strive for meaningful change in 2029.
In his opening address, Mallikarjun Kharge highlighted a recent show of solidarity, noting that the bloc had united decisively in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026, to defeat the Modi government’s contentious delimitation bills. He urged the alliance to sustain and amplify this spirit in addressing the wide-ranging political, economic, social, and foreign policy issues stemming from what he described as the Modi government’s misgovernance.
The meeting occurred against a backdrop of noticeable discord within the opposition coalition. At least three prominent constituents the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) have voiced reservations about the alliance’s direction.
The DMK has opted to skip the gathering, labelling the Congress’s electoral understanding with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu as a “betrayal.” Separately, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby has communicated with alliance partners, drawing attention to the Congress’s actions against the Left in Kerala. The JMM, meanwhile, is reportedly displeased with the Congress’s unilateral decision to field a candidate for one of the two Rajya Sabha seats in Jharkhand.
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On the eve of the meeting, the Congress sought to underscore cohesion, stating that 23 parties would take part and that even those absent had expressed their firm opposition to the Narendra Modi government’s policies.
The gathering reflects the INDIA bloc’s ongoing efforts to overcome internal differences while presenting a collective front against the ruling dispensation.