Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will host a dinner meeting for leaders of the INDIA bloc in New Delhi on Thursday, August 7. This bloc was formed ahead of the Lok Sabha elections last year.
The meeting will focus on creating a joint strategy for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and discussing the Opposition’s candidate for the Vice-Presidential elections scheduled for September 9. It will also address a protest march planned for Friday, August 8, to the office of the Election Commission of India.
This protest will target the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Opposition claims that the Election Commission’s actions go beyond its constitutional role and aim to disenfranchise voters who do not support the Bharatiya Janata Party. During this session, the Opposition has almost held both houses of Parliament hostage on this issue.
The INDIA bloc will meet for the first time in over a year. Though it was formed before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the group has not convened since its defeat in the polls.
There are many differing opinions within the INDIA bloc parties on various topics. The Congress party has faced criticism for not doing enough to keep the coalition intact. Other Opposition parties have pointed out that since Congress is the largest party in the group, it has a responsibility to maintain unity in the INDIA bloc.
Confirmed invitees for the dinner include Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav. The Trinamool Congress, which has had a rocky relationship with the Congress, will also attend, though it is unclear who will represent them.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin is expected to join, depending on his recovery from a health issue. Leaders from Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and other constituents of the INDIA bloc are also expected to take part in the meeting.
This gathering is important due to upcoming elections in several states, including Bihar this year, and West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu next year.
While the Opposition struggled to present a united front on the Hindenburg issue in Parliament, the SIR issue has provided them with common ground to address the larger concern of elections being “hijacked” and to regroup for future electoral challenges.
