TMC turmoil highlights: TMC's Kakoli Ghosh claims around 20 MPs to support NDA

Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal has arrived to attend the INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.

On posters targeting Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi on multiple roundabouts in Delhi ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting, Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla says, "The country is currently being run in a manner akin to a dictatorship. The entire country is grappling with economic hardship, while national assets are being handed over to their cronies. There is immense pressure from the US, and foreign policy has failed completely. Rahul Gandhi is a leader who is fully living up to his role as the Leader of the Opposition. He is firmly upholding our tradition of standing with the people and raising their issues. This reaction stems from the BJP and its alliance's desperation regarding the INDIA bloc meeting; they have orchestrated this entire narrative out of sheer panic..."

Congress leader Pawan Khera has arrived to attend the INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.

On posters targeting Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on multiple roundabouts in Delhi ahead of the INDIA bloc meeting, Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain says, "What else can you expect from the BJP... They are afraid of the INDIA bloc meeting today... Only the BJP can stoop to such a level."

VCK President Thol. Thirumavalavan says, "After five State Assembly elections, the leaders of the INDIA bloc are meeting today in Delhi. VCK will also take part in this historical meeting. DMK, one of the important parties in the INDIA bloc, has announced it will not participate in this meeting. DMK chief told his workers that DML will react along with the INDIA bloc parties, regaring anti -Hindutva poltiics. I welcome the decision taken by the DMK."

TVK's absence from the meeting does not necessarily indicate hostility between the party and the INDIA bloc. Instead, it reflects the fact that Vijay's party occupies a unique political position.

It heads a state government with Congress's support, but it has no MPs and is not formally part of the INDIA alliance. Vijay has also sought to project TVK as an independent political force rather than align it completely with any national coalition. Read more here.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has arrived in Delhi to attend the INDIA bloc meeting.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has arrived in Delhi to attend the INDIA bloc meeting.

On INDIA bloc meeting, Janata Dal (United) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan told PTI, "INDIA bloc should be formally dissolved; they contest elections against each other, lack consensus on decisions, have no leadership or agenda, and many so-called parties aren't even attending the meet."

DMK leader TKS Elangovan told PTI, "Let us see whether the INDIA alliance will continue or not; many parties are unhappy with Congress."

About INDIA Bloc Meeting, BJP leader Boora Narsaiah Goud told ANI, “Not only the people of West Bengal, but even the TMC MLAs and MPs also appear to be liberated. That’s why, 61 TMC MLAs who have been suffocating under the dynastic rule, authoritarianism, and lack of voice for grievances, have decided to form a separate bloc as the real TMC…sooner or later, similarly like TMC, INDIA bloc is going to disintegrate…the bloc is nothing but a corrupt dynastic political coalition. It has no specific ideology or policies. Their only stance is anti-BJP and anti-Indian politics…sooner or later, all the regional parties will realise that the ultimate goal of Rahul Gandhi is to destroy them so that Congress can rise.”

The ruling INDIA bloc in Jharkhand on Sunday announced that its two Rajya Sabha nominees -- one each from the JMM and the Congress -- will file their nomination papers on Monday, asserting that the alliance is united and confident of winning both seats.

The decision was taken at a meeting of INDIA bloc legislators chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his official residence here.

JMM has fielded former minister Baidyanath Ram, while the Congress has nominated senior party functionary Pranav Jha for the biennial polls.

"Soren chaired a meeting of INDIA bloc legislators. It was unanimously decided that both the nominees and other leaders will gather at the CM's office in the Assembly and thereafter proceed for filing nominations," JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya told reporters after the meeting.

The INDIA bloc partners -- JMM, Congress, RJD and CPI(ML) Liberation -- reiterated that they would jointly contest the election and secure both seats.

On AAP and DMK not attending the INDIA alliance meeting today, Congress leader Udit Raj told ANI, “This will weaken them... We do not want to see the DMK weakened. If they are not part of the INDIA Alliance, two scenarios may arise: either they remain neutral, or they support the BJP. Remaining neutral is, in a way, tantamount to supporting the BJP. This is because the INDIA alliance would be weakened, and ideologically, there is absolutely no alignment between the DMK and the BJP. So, we still maintain that they should be part of the alliance if they wish to save the Constitution and the reservation. After all, reservation is a crucial matter of social justice, and in Tamil Nadu, that party was founded on the principles of social justice. As for the AAP, it is grappling with internal contradictions; look at the reports coming out of Punjab… Sooner or later, if it becomes significantly weakened, it might possibly merge into the BJP.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray will participate in the INDIA bloc meeting virtually on Monday, said Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and called the party a "committed member" of the alliance.

Amid visible cracks between Congress and DMK, which used to be staunch INDIA bloc allies, Sanjay Raut clarified Sena (UBT)'s commitment to further strengthening the alliance in the run-up to the 2029 General Elections.

"Today, in the INDIA Bloc meeting in Delhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray will participate virtually. Shiv Sena (UBT) remains a committed member of the INDIA Alliance. Our consistent stand has been -- and will continue to be -- that the INDIA Bloc must become more united and stronger. We will fight together against the grave challenges facing the nation and bring meaningful change in 2029," the Shiv Sena (UBT) MP said.

Congress and Uddhav Thackeray have been allies since 2019, and have contested elections alongside NCP (SCP) under the Maha Vikas Aghadi banner in Maharashtra.

INDA bloc meeting LIVE: NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Surpiya Sule arrived in Delhi on Monday morning for the INDIA bloc meeting at Constitution Club today.

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad said on Monday that the INDIA bloc has been formed for the "national interest", adding that the alliance's meeting is taking pace at a crucial juncture.

"INDIA Alliance has been formed for the national interest… And this meeting is taking place at a time when our citizens are facing hardships and difficulties. It is happening at a time when our country's economy has stalled and plummeted into an abyss… In a single week, petrol and diesel prices were hiked repeatedly; just a day or two ago, the price of cooking gas went up by ₹29," Prasad told news agency ANI.

"Inflation is rising so rapidly that it feels as if it has soared beyond the sky, impacting the common people. Yet, the government has neither the intent nor a solution for this problem… This meeting is taking place at a critical juncture when our country's youth are in distress. Unemployment is rampant; when young people go seeking jobs, exam papers get leaked… Farmers are unable to secure even a fraction of the required urea or fertilisers; they are in complete distress… This meeting is happening at a time when the Lok Sabha session is approaching, where the people's issues are discussed, solutions are sought, and the opposition makes demands of the government. This meeting is being convened to address these critical, burning issues of public interest, including the need for solutions to various problems," he added.

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Ahead of the opposition bloc's meeting at Constitution Club today, posters targeting Congress and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi were seen on display on multiple roundabouts across Delhi.

About the INDIA bloc Delhi meeting, JMM leader Manoj Pandey told ANI, “If the DMK does part ways, there are other potential partners ready to join the INDIA alliance…it appeared to be fracturing in Bengal. TMC contested the elections separately from the Congress. Yet today, Mamata Banerjee herself is a staunch advocate for strengthening the INDIA alliance and is taking the initiative to convene this meeting…we stand firmly with the INDIA alliance…the rigging of elections, the influence exerted through the deployment of central forces, and the extent to which constitutional agencies are being misused is a known fact…I believe the outcome of this meeting will be positive.”

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that like India, the "INDIA janbandhan" continues to stand united through its diversity.

He said the parties which are unable to attend have conveyed their "strong opposition to the Modi government's policies and actions that are snatching away the right to vote for millions of Indians, assaulting the Constitution daily, attacking Opposition leaders through investigative agencies...".

He said that these parties are against the Modi government's policies that are "seriously damaging the livelihoods of crores of Indians, breaking household budgets through relentless price rise, betraying the hopes and aspirations of lakhs of youth, dampening investment climate, and compromising the national interest by its foreign policy".

The recent assembly elections have, however, also brought out differences within the opposition bloc, with the CPI-M set to raise with the Congress the charge that the Left had a political understanding with the BJP in Kerala polls. The Left parties lost against the Congress-led UDF in the only state where they were in power.

The CPI(M), which will be represented at the meeting by its Rajya Sabha leader, John Brittas, is likely to flag the issue and seek clarifications from the Congress leadership, sources said.

The recent defeat of Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal has also forced the opposition bloc to come together to take on the saffron surge in the country.

The TMC is likely to raise the issue of alleged attacks on its leaders in Bengal and rally the support of the INDIA bloc parties.

"Meeting with a common purpose and clear intent. INDIA united. Many parties look forward to meeting in the spirit of camaraderie," TMC MP Derek O'Brien said.

The alliance is set to deliberate on the future course of action and will aim to put a united face to take on the Modi government on national issues in the run-up to the next election cycle in states and the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

While the DMK and AAP are unlikely to attend, TVK is likely to be included in the bloc.

Leaders of the INDIA bloc parties will meet at 12 noon today, Monday, June 8, 2026, at the Constitution Club, New Delhi.

Top leaders of opposition parties, including Congress's Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC's Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav of RJD and Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT), besides Left leaders and those from smaller parties, are likely to attend the meeting at the Constitution Club in the national capital.