INDIA bloc meets today after a year: 23 parties, internal tensions, 2029 polls - what's on the agenda

The INDIA bloc is gathering for its first formal meeting since June 2024, and the stakes are higher than the last time these leaders sat across from one another.

Twenty-three political parties are expected at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Monday for what the alliance is billing as a reset moment, as it works to project unity, address internal friction, and chart a path ahead of upcoming state elections and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

The who's who of the opposition is expected in the room: Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge of the Congress, Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee of the TMC, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, among them.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh confirmed that 23 parties had committed to attending, describing the gathering as a meeting of the "INDIA janbandhan" and asserting that the alliance remained united despite its ideological and regional diversity. Some parties have cited scheduling constraints and will not be present but have reiterated their opposition to the Modi government's policies. The DMK and AAP are unlikely to participate, while Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is expected to be brought formally into the alliance fold.

What is on the agenda

The meeting is expected to cover a wide range of issues, from a coordinated strategy for upcoming state elections to concerns over electoral reforms, alleged misuse of investigative agencies, rising prices, unemployment, and broader economic anxieties. The TMC is expected to raise the issue of alleged attacks on its leaders in West Bengal and seek solidarity from alliance partners.

The tensions beneath the surface

The gathering also comes loaded with unresolved friction. The CPI(M) is likely to seek clarification from the Congress over allegations that Left parties had an understanding with the BJP during the Kerala Assembly elections, a charge CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby has already formally flagged in a letter to Kharge, describing such accusations as inconsistent with the spirit of opposition cooperation. CPI general secretary D Raja noted that the formal meeting was long overdue and that Left parties would use the occasion to raise their concerns directly.

The BJP moved quickly to frame the meeting on its own terms. Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the differences among alliance partners exposed a fundamental lack of unity and common direction.

Context and significance

Monday's meeting is the first official INDIA bloc gathering since June 2024, when alliance leaders convened ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The last informal assembly took place in August 2025, at a strategy dinner hosted by Rahul Gandhi, where concerns over electoral processes, including voter roll revisions in Bihar, were discussed.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari framed the meeting as a necessary act of political consolidation. The INDIA bloc, formed ahead of the 2024 general elections as a broad front against the BJP-led NDA, enters Monday's meeting having absorbed a string of state election setbacks. Whether it emerges from the Constitution Club with renewed direction or simply confirms the fractures that have been building, will be closely watched.