The crucial INDIA block meeting began at the Constitution Club here on Monday, with leaders like Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav in attendance.Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray of the Siv Sena (UBT) will attend the meeting virtually. Giving the information, party leader Sanjay Raut said in a post on X, “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 meeting comes about a month after elections were held in five states and Union Territory—West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry.The Tamil Nadu results significantly altered the state’s political landscape, with Vijay-led TVK emerging as the single largest party, though it fell just short of securing a majority. The Congress, which had contested the election in alliance with the DMK, extended unconditional support to TVK after the results. The Congress’ decision strained its relationship with the DMK. Following the development, the MK Stalin-led party severed ties with the Congress and decided to skip the INDIA bloc meeting.Mamata Banerjee’s presence at the meeting marks her visit to Delhi after her party’s recent electoral defeat in West Bengal at the hands of the BJP. The party is already grappling with internal turmoil following a major split led by MLA Ritabrata Banerjee.According to Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, 23 parties will be attending the meeting.