Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence in the national capital on Tuesday, 9 June.
The meeting comes a day after the two leaderds met during the INDIA bloc meeting held at Constitution Club in the national capital. The meetings come at a politically significant moment as opposition leaders continue efforts to maintain cohesion and strategic alignment following recent electoral setbacks.
The TMC is facing its most serious internal crisis in recent times, with reports of high-profile resignations and growing dissent in both the Bengal Assembly and Parliament.
The Tuesday’s meeting was the first closed-door meeting between Banerjee and Gandhi after Trinamool’s defeat in the polls, and alleged attacks on party workers and MP Abhishek Banerjee after the elections.
Sources told news agency PTI that the two leaders discussed the strategy between the two parties going forward after the opposition bloc meeting, and following an exodus of Trinamool members after the party’s defeat to the BJP in the recent Bengal polls.
At the INDIA bloc meeting on Monday, Opposition leaders reportedly engaged in discussions on coordination and future strategy. The meeting also saw a strong defence of Mamata Banerjee by several opposition leaders, signalling attempts to project unity within the bloc despite emerging differences.
Mamata and Sonia were seen hugging each other at the INDIA bloc meeting. The TMC and the Congress shared pictures of the bonhomie between the two leaders on their social media handles.
