A senior party leader announced on Monday that the Trinamool Congress will not be attending the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for June 1.

The TMC leader explained that due to a crucial election in the seventh phase, where nine seats, including all seats in Kolkata and greater Kolkata, are up for grabs, it is a significant election day for the TMC. Additionally, elections will be held in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Punjab on the same day, making a trip to Delhi impractical.

A media report indicates that the INDIA bloc members plan to review and discuss the coalition’s future course of action before the June 4 election results are announced. The Trinamool Congress is not contesting elections in West Bengal in alliance with the INDIA bloc members.

The first INDIA bloc meeting was held in Patna on June 23 last year, followed by a second gathering in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18. The third meeting occurred on August 31 and September 1, during which the opposition alliance members adopted resolutions to contest the ongoing Lok Sabha elections unitedly.

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The fourth meeting of the opposition bloc took place in Delhi on December 19. Subsequently, opposition leaders gathered again in Delhi on March 31 for the ‘Save Democracy’ rally, protesting the arrests of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Another similar rally, named ‘Ulgulan,’ was held in Ranchi on April 21.

Twenty-eight opposition parties initially came together to form the INDIA bloc. However, some parties, including Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, later switched allegiance to the NDA.

Voting will take place on nine seats in West Bengal on June 1, including two seats in Kolkata: Kolkata Dakshin and Kolkata Uttar. The other constituencies going to the polls are Jadavpur, Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat, Jayanagar, Mathurapur, and Diamond Harbour.

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