The carefully planned seating arrangement at the INDIA bloc's meeting in New Delhi was thrown into a brief scramble when Congress leader Sonia Gandhi arrived unexpectedly just before the Opposition's press conference on Wednesday, sources said.
The seating had been organised in advance, with nameplates placed for the leaders and chairs positioned around a large rectangular setup. Leaders from parties with fewer MPs were generally seated towards the back, while current and former chief ministers and deputy chief ministers were given places in the front row.
Sources said the arrangement was also intended to reflect mutual respect among the leaders and accommodate the relative strength and positions of the participating parties.
Sonia Gandhi's unexpected arrival
Several Congress leaders and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien had inspected the arrangements before the event. However, Sonia Gandhi's arrival shortly before the press conference had not been anticipated.
There was no nameplate for the former Congress president, sources said, leaving organisers to make an immediate adjustment.
Before the reshuffle, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's chair was positioned at the centre of the podium. Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav were seated on either side of him, while Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary MA Baby were positioned alongside them.
Mamata Banerjee and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule then began looking for a place for Sonia Gandhi. Several leaders gestured towards Rahul Gandhi's chair, but Sonia Gandhi instead took Tejashwi Yadav's seat.
Kharge subsequently entered the hall and asked that a chair be arranged beside him for Sonia Gandhi. Mamata Banerjee then sat next to Sonia Gandhi, followed by Supriya Sule, while Samajwadi Party MP Harendra Malik took the next seat.
When Rahul Gandhi arrived, he occupied the chair on the other side of Kharge. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah sat next to him, followed by MA Baby and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. Tejashwi Yadav and Kapil Sibal were seated further along the row.
A front-row nameplate had also been prepared for former Union finance minister P Chidambaram, but he did not attend, leaving that place vacant.
Sonia and Mamata share a moment
The seating changes were followed by a notable interaction between Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee during the press conference.
When it was Banerjee's turn to address the media, she spoke strongly against the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Sonia Gandhi was seen patting Banerjee on the back as she spoke.
Reports from the meeting also described the interaction between the two leaders as a visible display of warmth. Banerjee had urged Sonia Gandhi to sit beside Kharge before ultimately taking the seat next to her, while Gandhi was seen applauding and later patting her back.
The two leaders had also met at Sonia Gandhi's 10 Janpath residence in June, a meeting that was followed by speculation in some sections about a possible merger between the Congress and TMC. Both parties had rejected those reports at the time.
Opposition steps up pressure on CEC
The meeting itself focused on the Opposition's campaign against the Election Commission and its handling of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
INDIA bloc parties reiterated their demand for Gyanesh Kumar's resignation and discussed coordinated action over their concerns regarding the electoral roll revision. Reports said a fresh move seeking the removal of the CEC was also on the agenda.
The Opposition has announced nationwide programmes from October 2 to 8, with a march to the Election Commission's headquarters in Delhi planned for October 6.
The BJP, meanwhile, criticised the INDIA bloc's campaign and described the alliance as an exercise in "political opportunism". BJP leaders also pointed to the absence of several prominent Opposition leaders from the meeting while questioning the bloc's cohesion.
The DMK, which has moved away from the alliance amid its differences with the Congress, was not present at the meeting but has assured support for the proposed motion against the CEC in Parliament.
The meeting therefore brought together Opposition leaders around a common demand concerning the Election Commission, even as differences over alliance participation and the absence of some major parties remained visible.