INDIA bloc to meet at Constitution Club of India in New Delhi on June 8

Leaders of the INDIA bloc are scheduled to meet on June 8 at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, with representatives from around 17 opposition parties expected to participate. Among those likely to attend are West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. Mamata Banerjee is also expected to be accompanied by Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

The meeting comes amid renewed efforts by opposition parties to coordinate political strategy and present a united front. It will be the first gathering in recent months where a broad section of INDIA bloc constituents are expected to participate together. The last occasion when the bloc’s top leadership shared a common platform was in December 2023 ahead of the general elections.

Attention is also expected to focus on the position of the DMK following recent political developments in Tamil Nadu. The party has expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress after the latter ended ties and aligned with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to join the state government. Earlier, DMK Lok Sabha leader Kanimozhi had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking separate seating arrangements for her party’s members away from the Congress.

The Aam Aadmi Party is unlikely to attend the meeting. The party had distanced itself from the INDIA bloc nearly a year ago and continues to face the Congress as the principal opposition party in Punjab, where the Aam Aadmi Party is currently in power.

Leaders are expected to discuss electoral strategy, issues related to the Election Commission and the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Special Intensive Revision exercise. Discussions may also focus on economic issues, including concerns about economic slowdown, which have been repeatedly raised by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The meeting is also being viewed as an attempt by opposition parties to project unity following a series of Assembly election setbacks since June 2024.