Sonia Gandhi's Surprise Entry At INDIA Bloc Meet Sets Off Seating Scramble

Leaders of different parties from across the country attended a big meeting of the Opposition bloc INDIA in Delhi on Wednesday.

Inside the meeting, everything was well-organised; seating was pre-arranged around a large rectangular setup and the proceedings went smoothly. Nameplates were also in place for everyone when the press conference began.

However, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi arrived unexpectedly, sources said, adding no one had anticipated her presence. Her arrival led to a bit of a scramble. Typically, seating arrangements - with some leaders in the front row and others behind - are designed to ensure mutual respect.

Those representing parties with fewer MPs sit further back, while current or former chief ministers and deputy chief ministers are seated in the front row, sources said.

In the press conference hall, the chairs were arranged in the following manner: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's chair was at the centre of the podium, flanked by Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal's Tejashwi Yadav; Trinamool Congress's Mamata Banerjee and CPM General Secretary MA Baby sat next to them.

Before the event started, several Congress leaders and Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien had already inspected the seating arrangements. Yet, Sonia Gandhi arrived just before the conference began, catching everyone off guard.

There was no nameplate for her anywhere, sources said.

Mamata Banerjee and the NCP (SP) Supriya Sule began looking for her designated seat. Everyone gestured for her to sit on Rahul Gandhi's seat; however, she took Tejashwi Yadav's chair.

Just then, Kharge entered the hall and asked for a seat to be made available next to him. Mamata Banerjee sat beside Sonia Gandhi, followed by Supriya Sule, with Samajwadi Party MP Harendra Malik seated next to her.

When Rahul Gandhi arrived, he took the seat on the other side of Kharge; next to him sat the National Conference's Omar Abdullah, followed by MA Baby, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, and finally Tejashwi Yadav and Kapil Sibal.

A nameplate for P Chidambaram had also been placed in the front row, but since he did not attend, that space got freed up.

During the press conference, when it was Mamata Banerjee's turn to speak, she addressed the media in a strongly critical voice while Sonia Gandhi patted her back.

After the meeting of the INDIA bloc, the Opposition parties reiterated their demand for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, while the BJP referred to the alliance as "political opportunism".

The DMK, which had left the alliance due to its differences with the Congress, assured support to the impeachment motion against the CEC in parliament.