Leaders of the INDIA bloc met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on Tuesday, amid visible cracks in the opposition alliance.

The Samajwadi Party sent only two MPs, while the AAP and the DMK stayed away entirely; Uddhav Thackeray joined virtually. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge cited 14 objections the party had raised with the poll body over the past 10 months.

Rahul Gandhi attacked the CEC on social media, alleging the Prime Minister “uses him to steal elections” — a charge the Election Commission has previously rejected. The Congress Working Committee had on Monday demanded the CEC’s resignation.

The absences underline the strain within the alliance ahead of key state polls, with regional parties increasingly charting their own course. The meeting ended without any announced breakthrough on the opposition’s demands. The uneven attendance reflects the competing pressures inside the alliance, where national parties want a united front against the BJP while regional satraps guard their turf. How the bloc manages these tensions in the coming weeks could shape the opposition’s strategy for the next round of state elections.