Rahul Gandhi hosts key INDIA bloc dinner today. What's on the agenda, and who's attending?
This will be the first physical meeting of the INDIA bloc after the one held a day after the Lok Sabha elections at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's home in New Delhi.
The meeting will devise a joint strategy for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar and discuss fielding a joint candidate for the Vice Presidential elections scheduled for 9 September.
The Election Commission of India issued a notification on Thursday for the 9 September election to the vice president's post, kickstarting the nomination process.
The dinner will be followed by a protest march to the Election Commission's (EC) office in New Delhi on Friday. The INDIA bloc demonstration will be against the ongoing SIR exercise in Bihar that the Opposition alleges could allow the manipulation of electoral rolls.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav have confirmed their presence. All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee is also likely to attend. So will Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin, who is said to be unwell. Uddhav Thackeray from Shiv Sena (UBT) and leaders from Nationalist Congress Party (SP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and other INDIA bloc constituents are also expected to attend the meeting.
National Conference President Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti are also attending the meeting.
This meeting will decide our joint strategy against the manipulation of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The SIR row in Bihar has become a glue for the divided INDIA bloc to come together, as it has not let Parliament function, barring last week's debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor and its aftermath. The INDIA bloc has been demanding a debate in the Parliament over SIR.
Key Takeaways The INDIA bloc aims to unify against electoral challenges in Bihar.
The dinner meeting signifies a strategic alliance among opposition leaders.
Upcoming Vice Presidential elections will see a collaborative candidate effort.
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