The seating arrangement at an INDIA bloc press conference in Delhi had to be changed shortly before the programme began after senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi arrived unexpectedly. Since a seat had not been reserved for her in the original arrangement, several leaders had to make room for her before the press conference started.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's seat had been placed in the centre near the podium. Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to sit on one side of him, while Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav had been assigned a seat on the other side.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee and CPM general secretary M.A. Baby were also part of the seating arrangement around the front section. Nameplates had been placed on the table before the press conference, indicating where various leaders were expected to sit.

Sonia Gandhi's arrival shortly before the programme created some confusion because there was no nameplate or pre-arranged seat for her. Mamata Banerjee and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule were among those who helped find a suitable place for Sonia Gandhi.

Initially, Sonia Gandhi was indicated towards Rahul Gandhi's seat. However, she instead took the seat that had originally been assigned to Tejashwi Yadav. The seating arrangement was then adjusted around her.

When Mallikarjun Kharge arrived, arrangements were made for another seat next to him. Mamata Banerjee subsequently sat beside Sonia Gandhi, followed by Supriya Sule. Samajwadi Party MP Harendra Malik was seated next to Sule.

Rahul Gandhi later arrived and took the seat on the other side of Kharge. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah sat beside Rahul Gandhi. M.A. Baby and CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya were seated further along the row.

Tejashwi Yadav was eventually seated further down the line along with former Union minister and Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal.

A nameplate had also been placed in the first row for senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram. However, his seat remained vacant as he did not attend the press conference.

The seating episode was separate from the main political discussions of the INDIA bloc meeting. The opposition leaders had gathered in Delhi to discuss issues related to the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision process, along with their future political strategy.

The unexpected arrival of Sonia Gandhi therefore resulted in a brief reshuffling of the seating arrangement before the press conference began. Several prominent opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav, Supriya Sule and Omar Abdullah, were present.