Opposition INDIA Bloc to meet

As many as 23 political parties of the Opposition INDIA bloc will meet on Monday to redraw their strategy to take on the BJP and iron out differences amid changed power dynamics after the defeat of regional anchors TMC and DMK in the recent Assembly polls.

Top leaders of Opposition parties, including Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav of RJD and Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT), besides Left leaders and those from smaller parties, are likely to attend the meeting at the Constitution Club in the national Capital.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that 23 political parties have confirmed their participation in the “INDIA janbandhan” meeting, while asserting that the Opposition bloc continues to stand united through its diversity.

Ramesh claimed some parties have expressed their inability to attend this meeting for their own reasons, even though they have conveyed their strong Opposition to the Modi Government’s policies and actions. While the DMK and AAP are unlikely to attend, TVK is likely to be included in the bloc. AAP has already publicly distanced itself from the bloc, while the DMK earlier announced its decision to boycott the gathering after the Congress snapped ties with it in Tamil Nadu and joined the TVK-led Government.

The alliance is set to deliberate on the future course of action and will aim to put a united face to take on the Modi Government on national issues in the run-up to the next election cycle in States and the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

The recent defeat of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has also forced the Opposition bloc to come together to take on the saffron surge in the country. The TMC is likely to raise the issue of alleged attacks on its leaders in Bengal and rally support of INDIA bloc parties.

The recent Assembly elections have, however, also brought out differences within the opposition bloc, with the CPI-M set to raise with the Congress the charge that the Left had a political understanding with the BJP in Kerala polls. The Left parties lost against the Congress-led UDF in the only State they were in power.

The INDIA alliance, formed ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, comprises several Opposition parties that have sought to jointly challenge the BJP-led NDA at the national level.