A day after their warm interaction at the INDIA bloc meeting drew attention, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee met Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence, 10 Janpath, in New Delhi on Tuesday. The meeting marked the first closed-door discussion between the two leaders in nearly five years.
The meeting comes at a challenging time for Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress following the party's crushing defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections. The setback has triggered internal unrest, with sections of MLAs and MPs reportedly rebelling against the party leadership.
The meeting sparked speculation about the future of ties between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, which have often shared a complicated relationship despite being allies in the INDIA bloc. Political observers, however, noted that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was not present during the discussion, suggesting that any major strategic decisions were unlikely to have been taken.
At Monday's INDIA alliance meeting, Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi shared a hug and were seated next to each other, a gesture that attracted significant attention. Sharing a photograph of the moment on X, the Trinamool Congress described it as a reflection of the long-standing bond between the two leaders.
"The smiles said what words could not... a bond strengthened through decades of dedicated service to the nation," the party wrote.
According to sources, Banerjee raised concerns about the role of the Election Commission during the West Bengal Assembly elections and emphasised the need for greater unity among opposition parties.
She is also understood to have stressed that INDIA bloc partners should work together on issues affecting the public and avoid publicly criticising one another. The position marks a notable shift from her earlier efforts to establish a political space independent of the Congress.
During the opposition meeting on Monday, Banerjee reportedly urged alliance partners to put past differences behind them and focus on strengthening coordination. Discussions among opposition leaders centred on improving cooperation, engaging with civil society groups and recognising the Congress as the principal anchor of the opposition alliance, provided it adopts an inclusive approach towards its allies.
Banerjee founded the Trinamool Congress in 1998 after breaking away from the Congress. The two parties later joined forces to end the Left Front's 34-year rule in West Bengal in 2011. Although the alliance ended a year later, both parties reunited within the INDIA bloc ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Notably, after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Banerjee had publicly questioned the Congress's ability to lead the opposition alliance. Her recent outreach to Sonia Gandhi is therefore being viewed as a significant political development amid renewed efforts to strengthen opposition unity.
