INDIA Bloc to hold strategic meeting today ahead of Monsoon Session of Parliament

NEW DELHI — The Opposition's INDIA Bloc will hold a crucial virtual meeting on Saturday to formulate a unified strategy ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

The Congress party, which is leading the coordination for the meeting, has decided to shift the event from an in-person gathering at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi to a virtual format. This change has been made to ensure broader participation from Opposition leaders across the country.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 P.M. and will bring together senior leaders from key Opposition parties, including the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party (SP), Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), and the Left parties.

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Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee is also expected to attend the session. However, there remains uncertainty regarding the participation of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Congress MP and General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal confirmed the meeting details, stating that the top leadership of the INDIA Bloc will deliberate on key issues that will be raised during the upcoming Parliament session.

Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain added that the meeting would serve as a strategic platform for leaders to align on their approach to counter the government's agenda and highlight concerns related to democracy, governance, and electoral integrity.

One of the major concerns expected to dominate the discussion is the voter list revision in Bihar. The Opposition has strongly criticised the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission ahead of the state’s upcoming Assembly elections.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh recently reignited the debate by accusing the Centre of attempting to manipulate the electoral process.

Referring to the SIR exercise in Bihar, Ramesh posted on X, “The Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls is a deliberate and diabolical move to rig the elections through large-scale disenfranchisement. A PM who masterminded 'notebandi' has orchestrated this 'votebandi'”.