The Opposition’s INDIA bloc will hold its first meeting since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Saturday evening. The online meeting, scheduled for 7 pm, will focus on planning strategies for the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament starting Monday.
This meeting comes after a long gap and follows the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) exit from the alliance. AAP announced that the bloc “failed to stay united and take steps to further its agenda,” confirming it will not attend the meeting. The party’s departure is seen as another setback for the opposition grouping, which struggled to maintain cohesion in recent state elections, particularly in Haryana and Delhi.
The bloc, formed ahead of the 2024 general elections to challenge the BJP-led NDA government, managed to put up a strong fight but failed to unseat the ruling coalition. Since then, the alliance has appeared divided, with allies not actively collaborating in subsequent state polls.
Despite initial uncertainty, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) has confirmed its participation in the meeting through senior leader Abhishek Banerjee. Apart from AAP, no other INDIA bloc partner has announced skipping the session.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, in a tweet on Thursday, said, “A meeting of the leaders of the INDIA parties will be held online on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 7 pm to discuss the prevailing political situation in the country.”
Key issues likely to be raised by the Opposition include the ongoing electoral roll revision in Bihar, the recent Pahalgam terror attack, and Operation Sindoor. The bloc aims to create a unified strategy to corner the government on these matters during the Parliament session.
The meeting will be a test of the bloc’s ability to stay relevant and rebuild coordination after AAP’s exit. Political analysts believe that without strong cooperation among remaining allies, the INDIA bloc’s influence in shaping parliamentary debates could weaken further.
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