Twenty-three political parties have confirmed their participation in the INDIA bloc meeting in New Delhi on Monday, the Congress said, asserting that the opposition alliance remains united through its diversity.
The meeting, branded as the 'INDIA janbandhan' gathering, will be held at the Constitution Club and is expected to discuss the alliance's future strategy, including preparations for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "23 political parties have confirmed participation in the INDIA janbandhan meeting at Constitution Club, New Delhi, on Monday, June 8, 2026, at 12 noon."
Tagging Ramesh's post, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O'Brien said, "Meeting with a common purpose and clear intent. INDIA united. Many parties look forward to meeting in the spirit of camaraderie."
Ramesh said some parties would not be attending the meeting.
"There are some parties who have expressed their inability to attend this particular meeting for their own reasons, even though they 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, 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," he said.
"Like India, the 'INDIA janbandhan' continues to stand united through its diversity," Ramesh added.
The meeting comes amid strains within the opposition alliance.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has decided to skip the gathering, citing what it described as the Congress' "betrayal" in Tamil Nadu, while the CPI(M) has expressed dissatisfaction over remarks by senior Congress leaders alleging that the Left had colluded with the BJP in Kerala.
According to sources, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby recently wrote to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge seeking clarification over statements by senior Congress leaders that suggested a political understanding between the CPI(M) and the BJP in Kerala.
The gathering also follows recent assembly elections in which the TMC and the DMK were voted out of power in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively.
Political observers view the meeting as an attempt to strengthen coordination among opposition parties amid shifting political equations in several states and ahead of future electoral contests.
The Aam Aadmi Party has publicly distanced itself from the alliance, while the DMK formally announced this week that it would boycott the meeting.
In the past, INDIA bloc leaders have also met ahead of Parliament sessions to discuss floor coordination and jointly raise issues against the central government.