INDIA bloc likely to meet in Delhi on June 8 to discuss strategy, reinforce unity

SEnior leaders of the oppositeness bharat axis ar potential to meet in the national capital on June 8 to discuss their joint strategy to take on the BJP-led government and reinforce opposition unity, sources said.The meeting, which is expected to bring together representatives of around 15 opposition parties, comes in the backdrop of the recent assembly elections in which two main INDIA bloc constituents Trinamool Congress (TMC) and DMK were ousted from power in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, respectively.Among those likely to participate are TMC supremo and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the sources said.With the Congress snapping ties with the DMK and siding with TVK, DMK is unlikely to attend the meeting, they said, adding efforts are on to bring on board TVK led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Jospeh Vijay.The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already publicly distanced itself from the bloc and is not likely to attend the meeting, scheduled to take place at the Constitution Club.According to the sources, the gathering is being seen as an effort to deepen coordination among opposition parties, particularly after the recent round of assembly elections and amid evolving political equations in several states.Banerjee is likely to raise the issue of alleged attacks on TMC leaders in Bengal and rally support of INDIA bloc parties.The last official meeting of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was held in New Delhi on June 1, 2024, just ahead of the Lok Sabha election.On August 7, 2025, Rahul Gandhi hosted a crucial strategy dinner for top INDIA bloc leaders at his New Delhi residence that brought together nearly 50 leaders from over 25 opposition parties, where the issue of alleged electoral manipulation, particularly the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar, was raised.The INDIA bloc leadership has since then got together formally during consultations ahead of Parliament sessions, when opposition parties discussed floor coordination and issues to be jointly raised against the central government.These included moving notices against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, seeking his removal.The recent assembly election outcomes have prompted fresh introspection within opposition ranks.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.